Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 17

Devanagari script

कर्शयन्वै स्वकं देहं न लेभे शर्म वै क्वचित् । ग्रीष्मे पञ्चाग्निमध्यस्थो वर्षासु स्थण्डिलेशयः

Transliteration

karśayanvai svakaṃ dehaṃ na lebhe śarma vai kvacit | grīṣme pañcāgnimadhyastho varṣāsu sthaṇḍileśayaḥ

Translation

Mortifiant son propre corps, il ne trouva de réconfort à aucun moment : en été, il restait au milieu des cinq feux, et pendant les pluies, il gisait à même le sol.

Word by Word

• karśayan: emaciating
• karśayan: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial participle)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kṛś (धातु) → karśayant (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: वर्तमानकाले शतृ-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (Present active participle), परस्मैपदी; पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; क्रियाविशेषणभावेन

• vai: indeed
• vai: Emphasis (Nipāta)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vai (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle)

• svakam: his own
• svakam: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: svaka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; विशेषण

• deham: body
• deham: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• na: not
• na: Pratiṣedha (Negation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध (negation particle)

• lebhe: he obtained
• lebhe: Kriyā (Predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: labh (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन

• śarma: comfort/peace
• śarma: Karman (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śarman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• vai: indeed
• vai: Emphasis (Nipāta)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vai (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle)

• kvacit: anywhere/ever
• kvacit: Deśa/ Kāla-viśeṣaṇa (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: kvacit (अव्यय)
• Form: देश/कालवाचक अव्यय (adverb: ‘anywhere/ever’)

• grīṣme: in summer
• grīṣme: Adhikaraṇa (Location/Time)
• Type: Noun
• Root: grīṣma (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/locative), एकवचन

• pañca: five
• pañca: Viśeṣaṇa
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pañca (संख्या/अव्ययवत्)
• Form: अव्ययवत् संख्याशब्दः; समासपूर्वपद (numeral)

• agni: fire
• agni: —
• Type: Noun
• Root: agni (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समासपूर्वपद; पुल्लिङ्ग

• madhyasthaḥ: standing in the middle
• madhyasthaḥ: Karta-anvaya (Predicate adjective)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: madhya + stha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; सप्तमी-तत्पुरुषः—मध्यस्थः = ‘in the midst’

• varṣāsu: in the rains (rainy season)
• varṣāsu: Adhikaraṇa (Time)
• Type: Noun
• Root: varṣā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), बहुवचन

• sthaṇḍila: bare ground
• sthaṇḍila: —
• Type: Noun
• Root: sthaṇḍila (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समासपूर्वपद; नपुंसकलिङ्ग

• śayaḥ: sleeping/lying (one who lies)
• śayaḥ: Karta-anvaya (Predicate adjective)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śī (धातु) → śaya (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कृदन्त (agentive/‘one who lies’), पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; बहुव्रीह्यर्थे समासोऽपि (sthaṇḍile-śayaḥ = ‘ground-sleeper’)

Speaker

Narrator (contextual Purāṇic voice within Revā Khaṇḍa)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Skanda-tīrtha (Revā)

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Bhārata / nṛpasattama

Visual Art Cues

Scene: An ascetic at the riverbank performs pañcāgni in blazing summer—four fires around and the sun overhead—then in monsoon lies on bare earth, unmoved by discomfort, absorbed in inner worship.

Characters & Entities

• Indra
• Pañcāgni-tapas
• Tapas
• Vrata

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Atonement is portrayed as sustained, embodied discipline—enduring hardship to purify the mind and exhaust the residue of wrongdoing.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The austerities are situated in the Revā Khaṇḍa context, connected to Skanda-tīrtha and Revā’s tīrtha-region, though this verse emphasizes the penance itself.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Pañcāgni-tapas in summer and sthaṇḍila-śayana (sleeping on bare ground) in the rainy season are specified.