Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 7

Devanagari script

दिव्यं वर्षसहस्रं तु संशुष्को मुनिसत्तमः । निराहारो निरानन्दः काष्ठपाषाणवत्स्थितः

Transliteration

divyaṃ varṣasahasraṃ tu saṃśuṣko munisattamaḥ | nirāhāro nirānandaḥ kāṣṭhapāṣāṇavatsthitaḥ

Translation

Durant mille années divines, le plus excellent des sages demeura desséché et amaigri, sans nourriture et sans joie mondaine, immobile tel du bois ou de la pierre.

Word by Word

• दिव्यम्: divine
• दिव्यम्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दिव्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (Neuter, Nom/Acc, Singular; adjective)

• वर्षसहस्रम्: a thousand years
• वर्षसहस्रम्: Kāla-adhikaraṇa (Time/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वर्ष + सहस्र (प्रातिपदिके)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (वर्षाणां सहस्रम्) (Neuter, Nom/Acc, Singular; genitive tatpuruṣa)

• तु: indeed/but
• तु: Sambandha/Discourse particle (सम्बन्ध/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपातः/समुच्चयार्थ-व्यतिरेकसूचकः (indeclinable particle; but/indeed)

• संशुष्कः: completely dried up/emaciated
• संशुष्कः: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सम् + शुष्क (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (Masculine, Nominative, Singular; adjective)

• मुनिसत्तमः: the best of sages
• मुनिसत्तमः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मुनि + सत्तम (प्रातिपदिके)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (मुनीनां सत्तमः) (Masculine, Nominative, Singular; genitive tatpuruṣa)

• निराहारः: without food/fasting
• निराहारः: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: निर् + आहार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (Masculine, Nominative, Singular; adjective)

• निरानन्दः: without joy/pleasureless
• निरानन्दः: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: निर् + आनन्द (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (Masculine, Nominative, Singular; adjective)

• काष्ठपाषाणवत्स्थितः: standing like wood and stone
• काष्ठपाषाणवत्स्थितः: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: काष्ठ + पाषाण + वत् + स्थित (स्था धातु, क्त/कृदन्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; उपमान-तत्पुरुषः/अव्ययीभावसदृश-समासः (काष्ठपाषाणवत् + स्थितः); क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (Masculine, Nominative, Singular; past participle ‘stood’, with simile ‘like wood and stone’)

Speaker

Mārkaṇḍeya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā (Narmadā)

Type: river

Visual Art Cues

Scene: An emaciated sage stands utterly still, skin drawn tight, eyes half-closed in meditation; the landscape is a quiet riverbank with sparse trees and stones, suggesting long time and heat.

Characters & Entities

• Bhṛgu

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Steadfast austerity and sense-restraint are portrayed as the power that transforms a location into a spiritually charged kṣetra/tīrtha.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse continues the Bhṛgu-tīrtha/Śrīvṛta-kṣetra narrative, highlighting the tapas that sanctifies the region.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No direct prescription; it describes nirāhāra (fasting/abstinence) and immovable steadiness as features of tapas.