Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 28

Devanagari script

जलभक्षा शतं चाभूच्छतं वै वायुभोजना । ततो नियममादाय पादांगुष्ठस्थिताभवत्

Transliteration

jalabhakṣā śataṃ cābhūcchataṃ vai vāyubhojanā | tato niyamamādāya pādāṃguṣṭhasthitābhavat

Translation

Pendant cent ans, elle ne vécut que d’eau ; pendant cent autres, elle ne se soutint que d’air. Puis, adoptant une règle plus austère encore, elle demeura debout sur la pointe de son gros orteil.

Word by Word

• jala-bhakṣā: living on water
• jala-bhakṣā: Visheshana (of subject)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: jala (जल) + bhakṣā (भक्षा)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास; स्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा एकवचन; 'water-eating'

• śatam: a hundred
• śatam: Kala (duration)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śata (शत-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया/प्रथमा एकवचन; परिमाणवाचक (duration)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (coordination)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (च-अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयबोधक

• abhūt: was/became
• abhūt: Kriya (main verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: bhū (भू धातु)
• Form: लङ् (भूतकाल); परस्मैपद; प्रथमपुरुष; एकवचन

• śatam: a hundred
• śatam: Kala (duration)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śata (शत-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया/प्रथमा एकवचन; परिमाणवाचक (duration)

• vai: indeed
• vai: Sambandha (emphasis)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vai (वै-अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निश्चय/खलु-अर्थे (emphatic particle)

• vāyu-bhojanā: living on air
• vāyu-bhojanā: Visheshana (of subject)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vāyu (वायु) + bhojanā (भोजना)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास; स्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा एकवचन; 'air-eating'

• tataḥ: then
• tataḥ: Sambandha (sequence)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tataḥ (ततः-अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; ततो (thereupon/from that)

• niyamam: a vow/discipline
• niyamam: Karma (object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: niyama (नियम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया एकवचन; कर्म (object of ādāya)

• ādāya: having undertaken
• ādāya: Kriya (पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: dā (दा धातु) + ā- + lyap (ल्यप्)
• Form: ल्यबन्त अव्ययकृदन्त; 'having taken up'

• pāda-aṅguṣṭha-sthitā: standing on (one) big toe
• pāda-aṅguṣṭha-sthitā: Visheshana (of subject)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pāda (पाद) + aṅguṣṭha (अङ्गुष्ठ) + sthitā (स्थित)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास; स्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा एकवचन; 'standing on the big toe'

• abhavat: became
• abhavat: Kriya (main verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: bhū (भू धातु)
• Form: लङ् (भूतकाल); परस्मैपद; प्रथमपुरुष; एकवचन; 'became'

Speaker

Lomaharṣaṇa (Sūta) narrating (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Himavat-śṛṅga (tapas-sthāna of Devī)

Type: peak

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Pārvatī stands on the tip of one toe on a rocky ledge, hair matted, body radiant yet austere; subtle aura like heat-haze (tapas-tejas); winds swirl, clouds part, gods may be hinted watching from above.

Characters & Entities

• Pārvatī

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Unshakable determination in spiritual practice can reach extraordinary levels of self-mastery.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No distinct tīrtha is identified; the austerities occur in the sanctified Himalayan context.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Water-only and air-only fasting, followed by a strict niyama of standing on the big toe.