Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 7

Devanagari script

एवं ज्ञात्वा तु ते सर्वे लोकपालाः कृतक्षणाः । तपस्ते चक्रुरतुलं मारुताहारतत्पराः

Transliteration

evaṃ jñātvā tu te sarve lokapālāḥ kṛtakṣaṇāḥ | tapaste cakruratulaṃ mārutāhāratatparāḥ

Translation

L’ayant ainsi compris, tous ces Lokapāla, pleinement résolus, accomplirent des austérités incomparables, ne vivant que de l’air.

Word by Word

• evaṃ: thus
• evaṃ: Discourse adverb (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: evaṃ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रकारवाचक (adverb: 'thus')

• jñātvā: having known/understood
• jñātvā: Purvakala-kriya (पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: jñā (धातु) + त्वा (क्त्वा-प्रत्यय)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्ययकृदन्त (gerund/absolutive), पूर्वकालिक क्रिया (having known)

• tu: then/indeed
• tu: Discourse particle
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधान/विरोधसूचक (particle: 'but/indeed')

• te: they
• te: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), बहुवचन (Plural); सर्वनाम

• sarve: all
• sarve: Karta-viśeṣaṇa (subject qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; विशेषणम् (qualifying ते/लोकपालाः)

• lokapālāḥ: guardians of the worlds (Lokapālas)
• lokapālāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: loka + pāla (प्रातिपदिक); समास: लोकपाल
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), बहुवचन (Plural)

• kṛtakṣaṇāḥ: having resolved/decided (lit. 'having made the moment')
• kṛtakṣaṇāḥ: Karta-viśeṣaṇa
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kṛta + kṣaṇa (प्रातिपदिक); समास: कृतक्षण
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; विशेषणम् (qualifying लोकपालाः)

• tapaḥ: austerity/penance
• tapaḥ: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tapas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन (Singular)

• te: they
• te: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; सर्वनाम (पुनरुक्त-कर्ता)

• cakruḥ: did/performed
• cakruḥ: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kṛ (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन (Plural); परस्मैपदम्

• atulaṃ: unequalled
• atulaṃ: Karma-viśeṣaṇa
• Type: Adjective
• Root: atula (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (qualifying तपः)

• mārutāhāratatparāḥ: intent on subsisting on air (wind) as food
• mārutāhāratatparāḥ: Karta-viśeṣaṇa
• Type: Adjective
• Root: māruta + āhāra + tatpara (प्रातिपदिक); समास: मारुताहारतत्पर
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; विशेषणम् (qualifying लोकपालाः/ते)

Speaker

Śrī Mārkaṇḍeya (narration)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā-khaṇḍa (general)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: O king (rājendra) implied

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The Lokapālas stand in a ring of austerity—still as mountains—breath-controlled, bodies lean, minds fixed, with subtle winds swirling as their only ‘food’.

Characters & Entities

• Lokapāla
• Tapas
• Mārutāhāra (air-sustenance)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Firm resolve and disciplined austerity, undertaken for dharma, draw divine grace and stabilize one’s spiritual aim.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Implied by the chapter’s setting: the Narmadā (Revā) banks, celebrated as a field for potent tapas.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Austerity characterized by mārutāhāra—subsisting on air—an extreme ascetic practice rather than a household ritual.