Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 7

Devanagari script

एकांतरोपवासैश्च यो नयेद्द्विजसत्तमाः । चतुरो वार्षिकान्मासान्वैकुंठे स सदा वसेत्

Transliteration

ekāṃtaropavāsaiśca yo nayeddvijasattamāḥ | caturo vārṣikānmāsānvaikuṃṭhe sa sadā vaset

Translation

اے افضلِ دو بار جنم لینے والو! جو کوئی چار مہینے ایک دن چھوڑ کر ایک دن روزہ رکھے، وہ ہمیشہ ویکُنٹھ میں سکونت پائے گا۔

Word by Word

• ekāntara-upavāsaiḥ: by alternate-day fasts
• ekāntara-upavāsaiḥ: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: eka + antara + upavāsa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/करण), बहुवचन; ‘एकान्तर-उपवास’ = एकदिनान्तर-उपवासः (m., instr., pl.)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-बोधक अव्यय (conjunction)

• yaḥ: who
• yaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (m., nom., sg.)

• nayet: should observe/should spend (time)
• nayet: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: nī (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन (opt., 3rd sg.)

• dvijasattamāḥ: the best of twice-born (Brahmins)
• dvijasattamāḥ: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dvija + sattama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), बहुवचन; सम्बोधनार्थे अपि पाठान्तरं सम्भवति, अत्र कर्मरूपेण (m., acc., pl.)

• caturo: four
• caturo: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: catur (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचन; विशेषणम् (m., acc., pl.)

• vārṣikān: annual (yearly)
• vārṣikān: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vārṣika (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचन; विशेषणम् (m., acc., pl.)

• māsān: months
• māsān: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: māsa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचन (m., acc., pl.)

• vaikuṇṭhe: in Vaikuṇṭha
• vaikuṇṭhe: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vaikuṇṭha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/अधिकरण), एकवचन (m., loc., sg.)

• saḥ: he
• saḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (m., nom., sg.)

• sadā: always
• sadā: Kriya-visheṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sadā (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (adverb of time)

• vaset: should dwell
• vaset: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vas (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन (opt., 3rd sg.)

Speaker

Sūta

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: dvija-sattama (addressed brāhmaṇa/elite listener)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A devotee in a tīrtha-āśrama setting keeps alternate-day fasting through the rainy-season months, offering tulasī and lamps to Viṣṇu; a luminous Vaikuṇṭha vision appears as the promised fruit.

Characters & Entities

• Vaikuṇṭha
• Upavāsa (fasting)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sustained austerity performed as a seasonal vow is elevated from mere self-denial to a direct path toward Viṣṇu’s abode (Vaikuṇṭha).

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The vow-fruits teaching is delivered within the Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra Māhātmya context under Nāgara Khaṇḍa’s Tīrthamāhātmya.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Observe ekāṃtara-upavāsa (fasting every other day) for the four-month sacred period (Cāturmāsya), with the promised fruit of residence in Vaikuṇṭha.