Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 51

Devanagari script

दिनैकभोजनाः केचित्केचित्कन्दफलाशनाः । त्रिरात्रभोजनाः केचित्पराकव्रतिनोऽपरे

Transliteration

dinaikabhojanāḥ kecitkecitkandaphalāśanāḥ | trirātrabhojanāḥ kecitparākavratino'pare

Translation

Les uns ne prenaient nourriture qu’une fois par jour ; d’autres vivaient de racines et de fruits. Certains ne mangeaient qu’une fois tous les trois jours, tandis que d’autres observaient le vœu sacré de Parāka.

Word by Word

• दिनैकभोजनाः: (those who are) once-a-day eaters
• दिनैकभोजनाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दिन + एक + भोजन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), बहुवचन; विशेषण—‘दिन-एक-भोजन’ (once-a-day eaters)

• केचित्: some (people)
• केचित्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; अनिश्चित-सर्वनाम (indefinite pronoun)

• केचित्: some (others)
• केचित्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; अनिश्चित-सर्वनाम

• कन्दफलाशनाः: eaters of roots and fruits
• कन्दफलाशनाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कन्द + फल + अशन्/अश (धातु) + अ (प्रातिपदिक/कृदन्त-आधार)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; विशेषण—कन्द-फल-आशन (eating roots and fruits)

• त्रिरात्रभोजनाः: (those who) eat after three nights
• त्रिरात्रभोजनाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: त्रि + रात्रि + भोजन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; विशेषण—‘त्रि-रात्र-भोजन’ (eating once in three nights / every third night)

• केचित्: some
• केचित्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; अनिश्चित-सर्वनाम

• पराकव्रतिनः: observers of the Parāka vow
• पराकव्रतिनः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पराक + व्रतिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; विशेषण—पराक-व्रतिन् (observers of the Parāka vow)

• अपरे: others
• अपरे: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अपर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; सर्वनाम-विशेष (others)

Speaker

Narrator (contextual Purāṇic narration within Revā Khaṇḍa)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā (Narmadā) kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: null

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A riverside hermitage zone in Revā-kṣetra: groups of brāhmaṇas practicing varied austerities—some eating once daily, some living on roots and fruits, some eating every third night, and some undertaking the severe Parāka vow—set against the calm flow of the Narmadā.

Characters & Entities

• Parāka-vrata
• Vratins/Tapasvins

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purity and merit are cultivated through measured food-discipline and formal vratas, especially in the atmosphere of a tīrtha.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Narmadā-region sacred locale is glorified indirectly by showing it as a seat of intense vrata-practice.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Food-related vratas: once-daily eating, roots-and-fruits diet, eating once in three nights, and the Parāka vrata.