Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 17

Devanagari script

ततः पंचसहस्राणि वर्षाणि मुनिपुंगवः । निराहारो निरालोको निरुच्छ्वासो निरास्पदः

Transliteration

tataḥ paṃcasahasrāṇi varṣāṇi munipuṃgavaḥ | nirāhāro nirāloko nirucchvāso nirāspadaḥ

Translation

Puis, durant cinq mille autres années, ce taureau parmi les sages demeura sans nourriture, sans regard vers le monde, le souffle retenu, sans demeure ni appui.

Word by Word

• ततः: then, thereafter
• ततः: Kriya-visheshana (Temporal/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; तदनन्तर-कालवाचक (adverb of time: thereafter)

• पंचसहस्राणि: five thousand
• पंचसहस्राणि: Visheshana (Numeral modifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पञ्च (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक) + सहस्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: द्विगु-समासः; नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, बहुवचन; वर्षाणि इति विशेष्येण सह

• वर्षाणि: years
• वर्षाणि: Karma (Extent/अवधि-कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वर्ष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचन; कालपरिमाण-निर्देशः (अवधि)

• मुनिपुंगवः: the best of sages
• मुनिपुंगवः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मुनि (प्रातिपदिक) + पुंगव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समासः (मुनिषु पुंगवः/श्रेष्ठः); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• निराहारः: without food, fasting
• निराहारः: Visheshana (Predicate adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: निर् (उपसर्ग) + आहार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; मुनिपुंगवः इति विशेष्येण सह

• निरालोकः: without sight/light (unseeing)
• निरालोकः: Visheshana (Predicate adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: निर् (उपसर्ग) + आलोक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; मुनिपुंगवः इति विशेष्येण सह

• निरुच्छ्वासः: without breath
• निरुच्छ्वासः: Visheshana (Predicate adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: निर् (उपसर्ग) + उच्छ्वास (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; मुनिपुंगवः इति विशेष्येण सह

• निरास्पदः: without support/abode
• निरास्पदः: Visheshana (Predicate adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: निर् (उपसर्ग) + आस्पद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; मुनिपुंगवः इति विशेष्येण सह

Speaker

Narrator (contextual Purāṇic narrator within Setukhaṇḍa)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Setukṣetra (Setubandha)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The sage stands or sits in stark solitude by the sea, eyes lowered/closed (nirāloka), body unmoving, breath restrained; no mat, no shelter—only sky and shore.

Characters & Entities

• Gālava

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Withdrawal of senses and mastery of breath are shown as allied to tapas, leading toward single-pointed devotion and realization.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Setukṣetra is the broader sacred landscape in which such yogic austerity is celebrated.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A yogic discipline is indicated—fasting and breath-restraint—rather than a public ritual.