Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 16

Devanagari script

सुप्रभाता निशा तेषां धन्याः सुकृतिनो नराः । प्राणात्ययेन मुह्यंति यैः कृतं जागरं हरेः

Transliteration

suprabhātā niśā teṣāṃ dhanyāḥ sukṛtino narāḥ | prāṇātyayena muhyaṃti yaiḥ kṛtaṃ jāgaraṃ hareḥ

Translation

Mapalad ang gabing iyon para sa kanila, wari’y isang maliwanag na bukang-liwayway; mapalad at may kabutihang-loob ang mga taong nag-ingat ng pagpupuyat para kay Hari—sa huling sandali ng buhay, hindi sila nalulugmok sa pagkalito.

Word by Word

• सुप्रभाता: very auspiciously dawned
• सुप्रभाता: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सु (उपसर्ग/अव्यय) + प्रभात (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; कर्मधारयः ‘सु-प्रभाता’ = ‘अतिशयेन प्रभाता’; विशेषण

• निशा: night
• निशा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: निशा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; कर्तृ

• तेषाम्: for them / of them
• तेषाम्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), बहुवचन; सम्बन्ध

• धन्याः: blessed
• धन्याः: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: धन्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), बहुवचन; विशेषण

• सुकृतिनः: virtuous, meritorious
• सुकृतिनः: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सुकृतिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), बहुवचन; विशेषण

• नराः: men, people
• नराः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), बहुवचन; कर्तृ

• प्राण-अत्ययेन: by loss of life (even at the cost of life)
• प्राण-अत्ययेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्राण (प्रातिपदिक) + अत्यय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (अत्यय), तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः ‘प्राणानाम् अत्ययः’ (प्राणत्ययः) ‘loss of life’; करण

• मुह्यन्ति: become deluded / falter
• मुह्यन्ति: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √मुह् (मोहने)
• Form: लट् (Present/वर्तमान), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन; आत्मनेपद

• यैः: by whom
• यैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), बहुवचन; करण/हेतु (by whom)

• कृतम्: done, performed
• कृतम्: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कृत (कृदन्त; √कृ करणे)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘done’—here with ‘जागरम्’ as predicate/qualifier

• जागरम्: vigil
• जागरम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जागर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; कर्म (with implied ‘कृतम्’)

• हरेः: of Hari
• हरेः: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हरि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), एकवचन

Speaker

Skanda (Kārttikeya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Dvārakā

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Skanda (Ṣaḍānana)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A sacred night in Dvārakā: devotees keep awake before Hari/Viṣṇu, lamps blazing, conch and cymbals sounding; the night becomes ‘suprabhātā’ (auspicious dawn-like). A dying devotee remains lucid, mind fixed on Hari, free from delusion.

Characters & Entities

• Hari

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

A night spent in Hari’s vigil ripens into clarity at death, supporting steady remembrance rather than confusion.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The teaching is situated in the Dvārakā Māhātmya, linking the vow’s merit to Dvārakā’s sacred devotional culture.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Performing Hari’s night vigil (jāgaraṇa) as a vrata leading to auspicious spiritual results.