Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 44

Devanagari script

महापाराकिणश्चान्ये तथा मासोपवासिनः । अश्मकुट्टाशिनश्चान्ये दन्तोलूखलिकास्तथा

Transliteration

mahāpārākiṇaścānye tathā māsopavāsinaḥ | aśmakuṭṭāśinaścānye dantolūkhalikāstathā

Translation

Andere übten die große Pārāka‑Askese; andere hielten Fasten über einen ganzen Monat. Manche aßen nur, was auf einem Stein zerstoßen war, und andere lebten in der Askese von „Zahn und Mörser“, von dem, was sie mit den eigenen Zähnen zermahlen konnten.

Word by Word

• महापाराकिणः: performers of great ‘pārāka’ austerity
• महापाराकिणः: Visheshana (Adjectival)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महापाराकिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; समासः—महापाराकिन् (कर्मधारयः: ‘महान् पाराकः/पाराक-तपः यस्य’)

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• अन्ये: others
• अन्ये: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अन्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; सर्वनाम-प्रयोग

• तथा: likewise
• तथा: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: क्रियाविशेषण/समुच्चयार्थक-अव्यय (adverb: likewise)

• मासोपवासिनः: those who fast for a month
• मासोपवासिनः: Visheshana (Adjectival)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मास + उपवासिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; समासः—मास-उपवासिन् (तत्पुरुषः: ‘मासं उपवासं कुर्वन्ति’)

• अश्मकुट्टाशिनः: those who eat (food) pounded with a stone
• अश्मकुट्टाशिनः: Visheshana (Adjectival)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अश्म + कुट्ट + आशिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; समासः—अश्म-कुट्ट-आशिन् (तत्पुरुषः: ‘अश्मना कुट्टं (कुट्टितं) अश्नन्ति’)

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• अन्ये: others
• अन्ये: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अन्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; सर्वनाम-प्रयोग

• दन्तोलूखलिकाः: those who pound (food) with their teeth (as with a mortar)
• दन्तोलूखलिकाः: Visheshana (Adjectival)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दन्त + उलूखलिक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; समासः—दन्त-उलूखलिक (तत्पुरुषः: ‘दन्तैः उलूखलिकावत् (कुट्टनं) कुर्वन्ति’/‘दन्तेन कुट्टितं भुञ्जते’)

• तथा: likewise
• तथा: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-अव्यय (adverb: likewise)

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) [deduced]

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Ascetics with emaciated yet radiant bodies: one engaged in long fast, another with stone-mortar food preparation, another symbolically ‘tooth-mortar’ grinding; the setting is stark, with a sacred fire and minimal possessions.

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The sacred site is portrayed as a magnet for intense tapas, where extreme self-discipline is honored as a path to puṇya and inner purification.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The austerity-filled environment is part of the Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra narrative in Adhyāya 179.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Mahā-Pārāka penance, month-long fasting, and severe dietary austerities (stone-pounded food; ‘tooth-mortar’ subsistence).