Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 21

Devanagari script

त्रैरात्रिकाः सांतपना निराहारास्तथा परे । केचित्पुष्प फलाहाराः शीर्णपर्णाशिनस्तथा

Transliteration

trairātrikāḥ sāṃtapanā nirāhārāstathā pare | kecitpuṣpa phalāhārāḥ śīrṇaparṇāśinastathā

Translation

ومنهم من التزم نُسُك ثلاث ليالٍ؛ ومنهم من مارس تقشّف السامتابَنا؛ وآخرون لزموا الجوع بلا طعام. فمنهم من يقتات بالزهور والثمار، ومنهم من لا يأكل إلا الأوراق المتساقطة.

Word by Word

• त्रैरात्रिकाः: three-night (vow) observers
• त्रैरात्रिकाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्रैरात्रिक (प्रातिपदिक; त्रि + रात्रि)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; द्विगुसमासः (त्रि-रात्रि)

• सांतपनाः: performers of the sāṃtapana penance
• सांतपनाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सांतपन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• निराहाराः: fasting (without food)
• निराहाराः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: निराहार (प्रातिपदिक; निर् + आहार)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• तथा: likewise/also
• तथा: Sambandha (Discourse connective)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अव्यय-प्रकारः—समुच्चय/रीत्यर्थ (in like manner/also)

• परे: others
• परे: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• केचित्: some
• केचित्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + चित् (अव्यय-प्रत्यय)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; अनिश्चितवाचक-सर्वनाम (some)

• पुष्पफलाहाराः: those who subsist on flowers and fruits
• पुष्पफलाहाराः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुष्प (प्रातिपदिक) + फल (प्रातिपदिक) + आहार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (पुष्प-फल-आहारः = whose food is flowers and fruits)

• शीर्णपर्णाशिनः: eaters of fallen leaves
• शीर्णपर्णाशिनः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शीर्ण (कृदन्त; √शॄ/शॄञ् ‘to decay/fall’ क्त) + पर्ण (प्रातिपदिक) + आशिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; तत्पुरुषः (शीर्ण-पर्ण-आशिन् = eater of fallen leaves)

• तथा: likewise/also
• तथा: Sambandha (Discourse connective)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय/रीत्यर्थ

Speaker

Deductive (Prabhāsa-kṣetra-māhātmya narration; likely Sūta/Lomaharṣaṇa addressing sages)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kṛtasmara-parvata (Prabhāsa)

Type: peak

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Multiple groups of ascetics each following a distinct observance: three-night vow, sāṃtapana, complete fasting, fruit-and-flower diet, and eating only fallen leaves—set in a quiet hermitage on a sacred hill.

Characters & Entities

• Trairātrika vrata
• Sāṃtapana tapas
• Nirāhāra
• Puṣpa-phalāhāra
• Śīrṇaparṇāśana

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Self-restraint through graded vows—ranging from minimal diet to complete fasting—supports purification and spiritual focus.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The ascetic community of Kṛtasmara Parvata within Prabhāsa-kṣetra.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Three-night observances (trairātrika), Sāṃtapana penance, nirāhāra (complete fasting), and regulated ascetic diets.