Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 9

Devanagari script

चान्द्रायणैर्ब्रह्मकूर्चैः कर्शयामास वै तनुम् । एवं वर्षशतं सार्द्धं व्यतीतं तपसा नृप

Transliteration

cāndrāyaṇairbrahmakūrcaiḥ karśayāmāsa vai tanum | evaṃ varṣaśataṃ sārddhaṃ vyatītaṃ tapasā nṛpa

Translation

Par les observances de Cāndrāyaṇa et de Brahmakūrca, elle amaigrit véritablement son corps. Ainsi, ô roi, cent années entières s’écoulèrent dans l’austérité.

Word by Word

• चान्द्रायणैः: by cāndrāyaṇa vows
• चान्द्रायणैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चान्द्रायण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन; व्रतविशेष

• ब्रह्मकूर्चैः: by brahmakūrca penances
• ब्रह्मकूर्चैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्म + कूर्च (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन; व्रतविशेष

• कर्शयामास: emaciated (made thin)
• कर्शयामास: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृश् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Periphrastic Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद; causative sense ‘made (it) thin’

• वै: indeed
• वै: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वै (अव्यय)
• Form: निश्चयार्थक/पादपूरण अव्यय (emphatic particle)

• तनुम्: body
• तनुम्: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तनु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• एवम्: thus
• एवम्: Sambandha (Adverbial/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एवम् (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रकारवाचक अव्यय (adverb of manner)

• वर्षशतम्: a hundred years
• वर्षशतम्: Kalanirdesha (Time measure/काल)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वर्ष + शत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; ‘a hundred years’ (time-span)

• सार्द्धम्: and a half (more)
• सार्द्धम्: Sambandha (Modifier/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सार्द्धम् (अव्यय/उपपद)
• Form: सह/समेतार्थक अव्यय (with, together; here: ‘and a half’/‘plus’)

• व्यतीतम्: elapsed
• व्यतीतम्: Kriya (Predicative/क्रिया-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वि + अति + इ (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; भूतकृदन्त (क्त) = elapsed

• तपसा: by austerity
• तपसा: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तपस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन

• नृप: O king
• नृप: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नृप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th/Vocative), एकवचन

Speaker

Narrator (addressing Yudhiṣṭhira as ‘nṛpa’)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā–Sāgara Saṅgama

Type: sangam

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Yudhiṣṭhira

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A time-lapse style depiction: the ascetic’s body gradually emaciates through lunar-cycle fasting (Cāndrāyaṇa), seasons passing around her—monsoon clouds, autumn clarity, summer heat—yet her posture remains unwavering.

Characters & Entities

• nṛpa (king)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Long, disciplined practice—sustained over time—purifies and prepares one for divine response.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The broader Revā (Narmadā) sacred landscape frames the narrative, though the verse itself focuses on vow-practice.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Cāndrāyaṇa (lunar-cycle fasting) and Brahmakūrca (a severe expiatory regimen) are explicitly named.