Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 11

Devanagari script

जलबिन्दु कुशाग्रेण मासे मासे पिबेच्च सः । संवत्सरशतं साग्रं तिष्ठते च वरानने

Transliteration

jalabindu kuśāgreṇa māse māse pibecca saḥ | saṃvatsaraśataṃ sāgraṃ tiṣṭhate ca varānane

Translation

«Mois après mois, il ne buvait qu’une seule goutte d’eau au bout d’un brin de kuśa ; et ainsi, ô toi au beau visage, il a maintenu cette observance pendant un peu plus de cent ans.»

Word by Word

• जलबिन्दुम्: a drop of water
• जलबिन्दुम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जल + बिन्दु (प्रातिपदिके)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (जलस्य बिन्दुः) (Masculine, Accusative, Singular)

• कुशाग्रेण: with the tip of a kuśa grass
• कुशाग्रेण: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कुश + अग्र (प्रातिपदिके)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (कुशस्य अग्रेण) (Neuter, Instrumental, Singular)

• मासे: in a month
• मासे: Kāla-adhikaraṇa (Time/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मास (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7), एकवचन (Masculine, Locative, Singular)

• मासे: month by month
• मासे: Kāla-adhikaraṇa (Time/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मास (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7), एकवचन; पुनरुक्ति (Masculine, Locative, Singular; repeated for distributive sense)

• पिबेत्: would drink/should drink
• पिबेत्: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: पा (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद (Vidhiliṅ, 3rd person, singular, parasmaipada)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha/Conjunction (समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयार्थकः (conjunction)

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; सर्वनाम (Masculine, Nominative, Singular)

• संवत्सरशतम्: a hundred years
• संवत्सरशतम्: Kāla-adhikaraṇa (Time/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: संवत्सर + शत (प्रातिपदिके)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (संवत्सराणां शतम्) (Neuter, Accusative, Singular)

• साग्रम्: and more/with an addition
• साग्रम्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स + अग्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (Neuter, Accusative, Singular; ‘with an excess/and more’)

• तिष्ठते: stands/remains
• तिष्ठते: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्था (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (वर्तमान), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, आत्मनेपद (Laṭ, 3rd person, singular, ātmanepada)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha/Conjunction (समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयार्थकः (conjunction)

• वरानने: O fair-faced one
• वरानने: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वर + आनन (प्रातिपदिके)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8), एकवचन; कर्मधारयः (वरम् आननं यस्याः) (Feminine, Vocative, Singular)

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā (contextual)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Devī (Umā)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Close-up of the ascetic’s discipline: a kuśa blade held delicately, a single water drop touched to the lips; the rest of the body remains steady in meditation.

Characters & Entities

• Īśvara (Śiva)
• Bhṛgu
• Kuśa grass
• Gaurī (Pārvatī)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Austerity is portrayed as steady restraint—measured, repetitive discipline that trains desire and strengthens focus.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The broader Revā Khaṇḍa (Narmadā/Revā region) frames the merit-filled environment where such tapas is recounted.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A tapas regimen is described: sipping only a single water-drop from kuśa grass at monthly intervals, sustained over years.