Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 15

Devanagari script

सूत उवाच । इत्युक्त्वा ब्राह्मणान्प्राह बलिं पौत्रं स्वकं ततः । त्वमपि श्रद्धया पौत्र कुरु जागरणं हरेः

Transliteration

sūta uvāca | ityuktvā brāhmaṇānprāha baliṃ pautraṃ svakaṃ tataḥ | tvamapi śraddhayā pautra kuru jāgaraṇaṃ hareḥ

Translation

苏多说道：如此教诲诸婆罗门之后，他又对自己的孙子婆利说：“孩子，你也当以信心为哈利行守夜之礼。”

Word by Word

• सूतः: Sūta
• सूतः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सूत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन — Nominative singular

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद — ‘said’

• इति: thus
• इति: Sambandha (Discourse marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय — वाक्यसमाप्तिसूचक/उद्धरणसूचक (quotative particle)

• उक्त्वा: having said
• उक्त्वा: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वच् (धातु) + त्वा (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (absolutive/gerund) — ‘having said’

• ब्राह्मणान्: the Brahmins
• ब्राह्मणान्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्राह्मण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), बहुवचन — Accusative plural

• प्राह: spoke
• प्राह: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र + अह्/ब्रू (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद — ‘said/spoke’

• बलिम्: Bali
• बलिम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: बलि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन — Accusative singular

• पौत्रम्: grandson
• पौत्रम्: Karma (Apposition/समनाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पौत्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन — Accusative singular; संबोधनार्थे पुनरुक्तिः (also used as address later)

• स्वकम्: his own
• स्वकम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्वक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन — Accusative singular; विशेषणम् (qualifying पौत्रम्)

• ततः: then / thereafter
• ततः: Kala-adhikarana (Time/क्रम)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय — क्रमवाचक/तदनन्तर (adverb: thereafter)

• त्वम्: you
• त्वम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: मध्यमपुरुष-सर्वनाम, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन — Nominative singular

• अपि: also
• अपि: Sambandha (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय — अप्यर्थे/समुच्चय (particle: also/even)

• श्रद्धया: with faith
• श्रद्धया: Karana (Instrument/means/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्रद्धा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/करण), एकवचन — Instrumental singular

• पौत्र: O grandson
• पौत्र: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पौत्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th/सम्बोधन), एकवचन — Vocative singular

• कुरु: perform
• कुरु: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: लोट्-लकार (Imperative), मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद — ‘do’

• जागरणम्: vigil (night-long worship)
• जागरणम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जागरण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन — Accusative singular

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

Speaker

Sūta

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Dvārakā

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Śaunaka and the Naimiṣāraṇya sages (implied frame), and the text’s audience

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Sūta narrates: after addressing brāhmaṇas, the teacher turns affectionately to his grandson Bali, urging him to perform Hari’s night vigil with faith; intimate intergenerational moment.

Characters & Entities

• Sūta
• Bali (grandson)
• Hari (Viṣṇu)
• Brāhmaṇas

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

True religious practice is sustained through śraddhā (faith) and is meant for all—family and community alike.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Dvārakā is the overarching sacred setting of the section.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Perform Hari’s night vigil (jāgaraṇaṃ hareḥ), explicitly with faith.