Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 63

Devanagari script

एकाङ्गुष्ठो निराहारो वर्षादा षोडशान्नृप । तोषयामास देवेशमुमया सह शङ्करम्

Transliteration

ekāṅguṣṭho nirāhāro varṣādā ṣoḍaśānnṛpa | toṣayāmāsa deveśamumayā saha śaṅkaram

Translation

Ô roi, se tenant sur un seul orteil et jeûnant, durant seize années il apaisa Śaṅkara, Seigneur des dieux, avec Umā.

Word by Word

• एकाङ्गुष्ठः: (one who is) on one toe / with one toe
• एकाङ्गुष्ठः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: एक + अङ्गुष्ठ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन; विशेषण-प्रयोगः (adjectival)

• निराहारः: without food, fasting
• निराहारः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: निर् + आहार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (fasting)

• वर्षात्: for a year / from (the period of) a year
• वर्षात्: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वर्ष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (Ablative), एकवचन; कालावधि-निर्देशः

• षोडशान्: sixteen
• षोडशान्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: षोडश (संख्यावाचक-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), बहुवचन; संख्या-विशेषण

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

• तोषयामास: pleased / propitiated
• तोषयामास: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: तुष् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), परस्मैपद, प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; causative sense (to cause to be pleased)

• देवेशम्: the Lord of gods
• देवेशम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव + ईश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• उमया: with Umā
• उमया: Sahakaraka (Association/सह)
• Type: Noun
• Root: उमा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental), एकवचन

• सह: together with
• सह: Sahakaraka (Association/सह)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सह (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; उपसर्गसदृश-निपातः/सह-शब्दः (preposition-like particle)

• शङ्करम्: Śaṅkara (Śiva)
• शङ्करम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शङ्कर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; देवेशस्य विशेषणरूपेण (appositional)

Speaker

Narrator (implied Vaiśampāyana) to Yudhiṣṭhira

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā-tīrtha (contextual; the specific tīrtha where Pippalāda petitions Śiva)

Type: tirtha

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: King (nṛpa) addressed by the narrator

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A lone ascetic (Pippalāda) stands on one toe in severe penance, emaciated yet radiant, beneath a sacred tree near the river; in the subtle background, Śiva with Umā is envisioned, receiving the tapas.

Characters & Entities

• Śaṅkara (Śiva)
• Umā (Pārvatī)
• Pippalāda (implied)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sincere austerity and self-restraint can transform a troubled heart and draw the compassionate attention of Umā-Maheśvara.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The practice is set by the Narmadā (Revā) banks, a hallmark sacred landscape of the Revā Khaṇḍa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Austerity (tapas) and fasting (nirāhāra), including standing on one toe (ekāṅguṣṭha-vrata-like discipline), performed over a long period.