Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 4

Devanagari script

वायुभक्षा स्थिता वर्षं वर्षं ध्यानपरायणा । ततस्तुष्टो महादेवः प्रभायाः पाण्डुनन्दन

Transliteration

vāyubhakṣā sthitā varṣaṃ varṣaṃ dhyānaparāyaṇā | tatastuṣṭo mahādevaḥ prabhāyāḥ pāṇḍunandana

Translation

Ne se nourrissant que d’air et vouée à la méditation année après année, Prabhā persévéra ; alors Mahādeva fut satisfait d’elle, ô fils de Pāṇḍu.

Word by Word

• vāyu-bhakṣā: living on air
• vāyu-bhakṣā: Viśeṣaṇa (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vāyu + bhakṣā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (वायुम् भक्षयति/वायुभक्षणा—केवलवायुभोजिनी)

• sthitā: remained/stood
• sthitā: Kriyā (Predicate participle)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sthā (धातु) + sthita (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त/PPP), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; अवस्थावाचक

• varṣam: for a year
• varṣam: Kāla (Duration/काल)
• Type: Noun
• Root: varṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (Accusative), एकवचन; कालावधि-निर्देश

• varṣam: year after year
• varṣam: Kāla (Duration/काल)
• Type: Noun
• Root: varṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; पुनरुक्ति (emphasis)

• dhyāna-parāyaṇā: devoted to meditation
• dhyāna-parāyaṇā: Viśeṣaṇa (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dhyāna + parāyaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (ध्यानं परायणं यस्याः/ध्याननिष्ठा)

• tataḥ: then/thereupon
• tataḥ: Kāla/Anantarya (Sequence)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatas (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb), अपादान/क्रमसूचक (thereupon/from that)

• tuṣṭaḥ: pleased
• tuṣṭaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tuṣ (धातु) + tuṣṭa (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त/PPP), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• mahādevaḥ: Mahādeva (Śiva)
• mahādevaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahā + deva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; समासः—कर्मधारय (महान् देवः)

• prabhāyāḥ: of Prabhā
• prabhāyāḥ: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: prabhā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (Genitive), एकवचन

• pāṇḍu-nandana: O son of Pāṇḍu
• pāṇḍu-nandana: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pāṇḍu + nandana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative), एकवचन; समासः—षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (पाण्डोः नन्दन)

Speaker

Mārkaṇḍeya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa (implied consecration)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Yudhiṣṭhira

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Prabhā stands firm through years, living on air, absorbed in meditation; the moment of culmination is Śiva’s satisfaction, an unseen but palpable divine turning toward the devotee.

Characters & Entities

• Prabhā
• Mahādeva (Śiva)
• Pāṇḍu-nandana (Yudhiṣṭhira)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sustained discipline and meditation, carried out with endurance, culminate in divine favor.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

It supports the backstory for Prabhāsa/Prabhāseśvara, whose greatness is being established through narrative.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Ascetic practice: vāyu-bhakṣaṇa (extreme fasting) and dhyāna (meditative absorption) over long periods.