Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 11

Devanagari script

तृतीयं तु सहस्रं स धूमपानरतोऽभवत् । चतुर्थं वर्षसाहस्रं योगाभ्यासेन संस्थितः

Transliteration

tṛtīyaṃ tu sahasraṃ sa dhūmapānarato'bhavat | caturthaṃ varṣasāhasraṃ yogābhyāsena saṃsthitaḥ

Translation

Durant le troisième millier, il se voua au « boire de fumée » ; durant le quatrième millier d’années, il demeura établi dans la discipline de la pratique yogique.

Word by Word

• तृतीयम्: third
• तृतीयम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तृतीय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; ordinal adjective used with 'सहस्रम'

• तु: but/indeed
• तु: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात/समुच्चय-भेदक (particle: but/indeed)

• सहस्रम्: a thousand (years)
• सहस्रम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सहस्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; time-span 'a thousand (years)' implied

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

• धूमपानरतः: engaged in smoke-drinking
• धूमपानरतः: Karta-samānādhikaraṇa (Subject complement/कर्तृसमानााधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: धूमपान (प्रातिपदिक; धूम + पान) + रत (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; 'धूमपाने रतः' (locative-tatpurusha sense)

• अभवत्: became/was
• अभवत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: लङ् (अनद्यतनभूत), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• चतुर्थम्: fourth
• चतुर्थम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: चतुर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; ordinal adjective used with 'वर्षसाहस्रम'

• वर्षसाहस्रम्: a thousand years
• वर्षसाहस्रम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वर्ष (प्रातिपदिक) + साहस्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; 'वर्षाणां साहस्रम्' (genitive-tatpurusha)

• योगाभ्यासेन: by the practice of yoga
• योगाभ्यासेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: योग (प्रातिपदिक) + अभ्यास (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3), एकवचन; 'योगस्य अभ्यासेन' (genitive-tatpurusha); instrumental of means

• संस्थितः: steadfast/established
• संस्थितः: Karta-samānādhikaraṇa (Subject complement/कर्तृसमानााधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सम् + स्था (धातु) → संस्थित (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; क्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त past participle; 'having remained/being established'

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā-kṣetra (Narmadā region)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Bhārata/King (as addressed in surrounding verses)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: An emaciated ascetic in deep yogic posture, surrounded by a quiet forested riverbank atmosphere; subtle smoke-like aura begins to gather above the head, indicating the fruit of prolonged tapas.

Characters & Entities

• Andhaka (implied)
• Yoga

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The text portrays escalating disciplines—bodily austerity and yogic steadiness—showing how concentrated practice can transform and intensify karmic outcomes.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Revā riverbank setting continues as the sacred arena for these tapas, within the Śūlabheda-tīrtha narrative frame.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Two austerity modes are described: dhūmapāna (smoke-drinking) and sustained yoga-abhyāsa (yogic discipline).