Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 7

Devanagari script

तिलैरेकाशनं कुर्वंस्तथैवैकान्तराशनम् । त्र्यहषड्द्वादशाहाशी पक्षमासाशनस्तथा

Transliteration

tilairekāśanaṃ kurvaṃstathaivaikāntarāśanam | tryahaṣaḍdvādaśāhāśī pakṣamāsāśanastathā

Translation

متّخذًا السمسم (تيلا) قوتًا مقدّسًا، التزم بالأكل مرة في اليوم وبالأكل يومًا بعد يوم؛ وكذلك قام بصيامات ثلاثة أيام وستة أيام واثني عشر يومًا، بل وبمناسك تمتد نصف شهر وشهرًا كاملًا.

Word by Word

• तिलैः: with sesame (seeds)
• तिलैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तिल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (masculine), तृतीया विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), बहुवचन (plural)

• एकाशनम्: single-meal (observance)
• एकाशनम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एक (प्रातिपदिक) + आशन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (neuter), द्वितीया विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (singular); तत्पुरुषः: एकं आशनम् = एकाशनम्

• कुर्वन्: doing; observing
• कुर्वन्: Karta (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: शतृ-प्रत्ययान्त वर्तमान कृदन्त (present active participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा एकवचन; धातु: कृ

• तथा: thus; likewise
• तथा: Sambandha (Adverbial/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रकारवाचक अव्यय (adverb: thus/so)

• एव: indeed
• एव: Sambandha (Emphasis/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारणार्थक अव्यय (particle: indeed/just)

• एकान्तराशनम्: eating on alternate days
• एकान्तराशनम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एक (प्रातिपदिक) + अन्तर (प्रातिपदिक) + आशन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (neuter), द्वितीया विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (singular); तत्पुरुषः: एकान्तरं (दिनान्तरम्) आशनम् = एकान्तराशनम्

• त्र्यहषड्द्वादशाहाशी: one who eats every three days, six days, and twelve days (as observances)
• त्र्यहषड्द्वादशाहाशी: Karta (Qualifier of subject/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: त्र्यह (प्रातिपदिक) + षड् (प्रातिपदिक) + द्वादशाह (प्रातिपदिक) + आशिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (masculine), प्रथमा विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (singular); विशेषणम्; समासः (समाहार-द्वन्द्व/समुच्चय): त्र्यह-षडह-द्वादशाहेषु आशनशीलः = त्र्यहषड्द्वादशाहाशी

• पक्षमासाशनः: one who eats after a fortnight or a month
• पक्षमासाशनः: Karta (Qualifier of subject/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पक्ष (प्रातिपदिक) + मास (प्रातिपदिक) + आशन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (masculine), प्रथमा विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (singular); विशेषणम्; तत्पुरुषः: पक्षे मासे वा आशनम् यस्य सः (आशनशीलः)

• तथा: and likewise
• तथा: Sambandha (Adverbial/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रकारवाचक अव्यय (adverb: likewise)

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) narrating to the sages (contextual deduction for Āvantya Khaṇḍa tīrtha-māhātmya narration)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā-bank vrata-station (Aṇivāpa-anta context)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Pārtha

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A sage on a kusa mat near the river, with a small heap/bowl of sesame; a sequence motif shows him eating once daily, then on alternate days, then observing longer fasts, marked by lunar/solar time cues.

Characters & Entities

• Revā (Narmadā)
• Īśvara (implied in the narrative)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Steady self-restraint through regulated diet and fasting becomes a means to purification and divine favor in a tīrtha context.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Revā (Narmadā) region in the Revā Khaṇḍa, leading into the fame of Tilādeśvara tīrtha in this adhyāya.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Sesame-based observances: ekāśana (once-daily meal), ekāntarāśana (alternate-day eating), and multi-day fasts (3/6/12 days, fortnight, month).