Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 71

Devanagari script

कालं कमलपत्राक्षः शुद्धबुद्धिर्महातपाः । तावानधोमुखः कालं तावत्पंचाग्निसाधकः

Transliteration

kālaṃ kamalapatrākṣaḥ śuddhabuddhirmahātapāḥ | tāvānadhomukhaḥ kālaṃ tāvatpaṃcāgnisādhakaḥ

Translation

Pendant un temps, le grand ascète—aux yeux pareils aux pétales de lotus et à l’intelligence purifiée—demeura le visage tourné vers le bas ; et durant ce même laps, il observa la discipline des « cinq feux ».

Word by Word

• कालम्: for a time/period
• कालम्: Kāla-adhikaraṇa (कालाधिकरण/time-extent)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; कालपरिमाणार्थे

• कमलपत्राक्षः: one whose eyes are like lotus-petals
• कमलपत्राक्षः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कमल + पत्र + अक्षि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; बहुव्रीहि (कमलपत्रसदृशे अक्षिणी यस्य)

• शुद्धबुद्धिः: of pure understanding
• शुद्धबुद्धिः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शुद्ध + बुद्धि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; कर्मधारय (शुद्धा बुद्धिः यस्य/शुद्धबुद्धिः)

• महातपाः: great ascetic
• महातपाः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महा + तपस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; कर्मधारय (महत्तपः यस्य)

• तावान्: so much, that much (for that long)
• तावान्: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तावत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; परिमाणवाचक

• अधोमुखः: with face downward
• अधोमुखः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अधः + मुख (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; कर्मधारय (अधो मुखं यस्य)

• कालम्: for a time/period
• कालम्: Kāla-adhikaraṇa (कालाधिकरण/time-extent)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; कालपरिमाणार्थे

• तावत्: for that long
• तावत्: Kāla-viśeṣaṇa (कालविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तावत् (अव्यय/परिमाण)
• Form: अव्यय, परिमाणवाचक (adverb: for that long)

• पञ्चाग्निसाधकः: practitioner of the five-fire austerity
• पञ्चाग्निसाधकः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पञ्च + अग्नि + साधक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (पञ्चाग्नीन् साधयति/सेवते इति)

Speaker

Narrator (within Māheśvarakhaṇḍa frame)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Vajrāṅga is shown in successive austerities: first with face turned downward (adhomukha), then seated amid the pañcāgni—four fires around and the sun above—his lotus-like eyes calm, mind purified.

Characters & Entities

• Vajrāṅga

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purity of intellect and sustained discipline are portrayed as the inner foundation that makes external austerities spiritually meaningful.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No named location is glorified; the verse focuses on ascetic methods rather than sacred geography.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Paṃcāgni-sādhana (the five-fire austerity) and adhomukha (remaining face-down/inverted) are explicitly described.