Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 6

Devanagari script

वायुभक्षः शतं साग्रं यावत्तेपे हुताशनः । तावत्तुष्टो महादेवो वरदो जातवेदसः । संनिधौ समुपेत्याथ वचनं चेदमब्रवीत्

Transliteration

vāyubhakṣaḥ śataṃ sāgraṃ yāvattepe hutāśanaḥ | tāvattuṣṭo mahādevo varado jātavedasaḥ | saṃnidhau samupetyātha vacanaṃ cedamabravīt

Translation

Living only on air, Hutāśana (Agni) performed austerities for a full hundred years and more. Then Mahādeva, pleased and ready to grant boons to Jātavedas, came into his presence and spoke these words.

Word by Word

• वायुभक्षः: one who feeds on air
• वायुभक्षः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वायु + भक्ष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः: वायोः भक्षः (‘air-eater’, i.e., living on air)

• शतम्: a hundred (years)
• शतम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (कालपरिमाणे कर्म), एकवचन

• साग्रम्: and more, exceeding
• साग्रम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स + अग्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘शतम्’ इत्यस्य विशेषण; कर्मधारयः: स-अग्रम् (‘with an addition/over and above’)

• यावत्: as long as
• यावत्: Sambandha (Correlative/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यावत् (अव्यय/संबन्धशब्द)
• Form: परिमाण/अवधि-बोधक अव्यय (correlative: ‘as long as/for so long’)

• तेपे: performed austerity
• तेपे: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: तप् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (perfect), प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन, आत्मनेपद

• हुताशनः: Agni (Fire)
• हुताशनः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हुताशन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः

• तावत्: then, for that long
• तावत्: Sambandha (Correlative/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तावत् (अव्यय/संबन्धशब्द)
• Form: परिमाण/अवधि-बोधक अव्यय (correlative: ‘so long/then’)

• तुष्टः: pleased
• तुष्टः: Karta (Subject complement/कर्तृविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तुष् (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (past participle used adjectivally), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• महादेवः: Mahādeva (Śiva)
• महादेवः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महादेव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्मधारयः: महा + देवः

• वरदः: boon-giving
• वरदः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वरद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; उपपद-तत्पुरुषः: वरं ददाति इति (‘boon-giver’)

• जातवेदसः: of Jātavedas (Agni)
• जातवेदसः: Sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जातवेदस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (सम्बन्ध), एकवचन; बहुव्रीहिः: जातं वेदः यस्य सः (‘who knows beings’, epithet of Agni)

• संनिधौ: in the presence
• संनिधौ: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: संनिधि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (अधिकरण), एकवचन

• समुपेत्य: having approached
• समुपेत्य: Kriya (Gerundial action/पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम्-उप-इ (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्ययकृदन्त (absolutive/gerund)

• अथ: then
• अथ: Sambandha (Discourse marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अथ (अव्यय)
• Form: अनन्तरार्थक-अव्यय (particle: ‘then/now’)

• वचनम्: speech, words
• वचनम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वचन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (कर्म), एकवचन

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

• इदम्: this
• इदम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• अब्रवीत्: said, spoke
• अब्रवीत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ब्रू (धातु)
• Form: लङ्-लकार (imperfect/past), प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

Speaker

Mārkaṇḍeya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā-tīrtha

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Agni stands or sits emaciated yet luminous, sustained only by air for over a hundred years; then Mahādeva manifests nearby—majestic, calm, boon-bestowing—approaching into close presence (sannidhi).

Characters & Entities

• Hutāśana (Agni)
• Jātavedas (Agni)
• Mahādeva (Śiva)
• Tapas

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sustained tapas, grounded in restraint, culminates in divine grace—Śiva responds as the compassionate giver of boons.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The austerity narrative is situated in the Revā-khaṇḍa setting and functions as the lead-in to Piṅgalāvarta/Piṅgaleśvara’s sanctification.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Tapas with severe restraint (vāyu-bhakṣa—subsisting on air) is described as Agni’s discipline.