Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 67

Devanagari script

तस्माद्विशेषतः सर्वे वर्षेवर्षे वयं नृप । करिष्यामोऽस्य देवस्य श्रद्धया रात्रिजागरम्

Transliteration

tasmādviśeṣataḥ sarve varṣevarṣe vayaṃ nṛpa | kariṣyāmo'sya devasya śraddhayā rātrijāgaram

Translation

เพราะฉะนั้น ข้าแต่มหาราช พวกเราทั้งปวง—โดยเฉพาะยิ่ง—จักประกอบพิธี “ชาครณะ” คือการตื่นเฝ้าตลอดราตรีแด่เทวะองค์นี้ ด้วยศรัทธา ทุกปีแล้วปีเล่า

Word by Word

• तस्मात्: therefore; from that (reason)
• तस्मात्: Apadana (Source/Cause/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम-शब्दः; नपुंसकलिङ्गे (प्रयोगतः), पञ्चमी-विभक्तिः (5th/Ablative), एकवचनम्; हेतौ/अपादाने

• विशेषतः: especially
• विशेषतः: Adverbial (Kriyāviśeṣaṇa)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: विशेष (प्रातिपदिक) + तस् (तद्धित-अव्यय)
• Form: अव्ययम्; प्रकार/विशेषणार्थे क्रियाविशेषणम् (adverb)

• सर्वे: all (of us)
• सर्वे: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः (1st/Nominative), बहुवचनम्; सर्वनामसदृश-विशेषणप्रयोगः

• वर्षे-वर्षे: year after year; every year
• वर्षे-वर्षे: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वर्ष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभावः; ‘वर्षे वर्षे’ इति पुनरुक्त-समास/अव्ययीभाव-प्रयोगः; सप्तमी-अर्थे अव्ययवत् (each year)

• वयम्: we
• वयम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तमपुरुष-सर्वनाम; प्रथमा-विभक्तिः (1st/Nominative), बहुवचनम्

• नृप: O king
• नृप: Address (Sambodhana/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नृप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, सम्बोधन-विभक्तिः (Vocative), एकवचनम्

• करिष्यामः: we will do/perform
• करिष्यामः: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: लृट्-लकारः (Simple Future), उत्तमपुरुषः (1st person), बहुवचनम्; परस्मैपदम्

• अस्य: of this
• अस्य: Shashthi-sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-विभक्तिः (6th/Genitive), एकवचनम्; पुं/नपुंसक-सम्भवः (here: of this)

• देवस्य: of the deity
• देवस्य: Shashthi-sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, षष्ठी-विभक्तिः (6th/Genitive), एकवचनम्

• श्रद्धया: with faith
• श्रद्धया: Karana (Instrument/Means/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्रद्धा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे, तृतीया-विभक्तिः (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचनम्

• रात्रिजागरम्: night vigil
• रात्रिजागरम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रात्रि (प्रातिपदिक) + जागर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समासः (षष्ठी/सप्तमी-सम्बन्धः: ‘रात्रौ जागरम्’); नपुंसकलिङ्गे, द्वितीया-विभक्तिः (2nd/Accusative), एकवचनम्

Speaker

Brāhmaṇas

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Mahākāla-sannidhi (Mahākāla-sthāna)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: nṛpa (king)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A royal assembly resolves to keep an annual night-long vigil before a fierce-yet-auspicious Śiva form (Mahākāla), lamps blazing, devotees seated in orderly rows, vow-taking gestures (añjali), temple pillars and liṅga-shrine in the background.

Characters & Entities

• Mahākāla

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Steady annual observance (nitya-abhyāsa) with śraddhā is upheld as a powerful mode of devotion.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The vow is tied to Mahākāla’s sacred precinct/tīrtha (traditionally Ujjain).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Rātri-jāgaraṇa: keeping an all-night vigil for the deity, to be repeated every year with faith.