Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 2

Devanagari script

स बभूव मुनिः सम्यक्फलाहारसमन्वितः । शीर्ण पर्णाशनः पश्चाद्द्वे शते समपद्यत

Transliteration

sa babhūva muniḥ samyakphalāhārasamanvitaḥ | śīrṇa parṇāśanaḥ paścāddve śate samapadyata

Translation

Ce sage vécut avec une discipline parfaite, se nourrissant de fruits ; puis, se sustentant de feuilles desséchées, il persévéra ainsi durant deux cents ans.

Word by Word

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन

• बभूव: became/was
• बभूव: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• मुनिः: sage
• मुनिः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मुनि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन

• सम्यक्फलाहारसमन्वितः: endowed with proper fruit-diet
• सम्यक्फलाहारसमन्वितः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सम्यक् (अव्यय) + फल (प्रातिपदिक) + आहार (प्रातिपदिक) + समन्वित (कृदन्त; सम्+अन्वि/इ धातु)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; बहुपद-तत्पुरुषः (फलाहारेण समन्वितः; सम्यक्-उपपदपूर्वक)

• शीर्ण: withered
• शीर्ण: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शीर्ण (कृदन्त; शॄ/शृ धातु)
• Form: नपुंसक/पुं-प्रयोगे अव्ययवत् पूर्वपद; भूतकृत् (PPP) अर्थे 'withered'—समासपूर्वपद

• पर्णाशनः: one who eats leaves
• पर्णाशनः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पर्ण (प्रातिपदिक) + आशन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (पर्णस्य आशनः = leaf-eater)

• पश्चात्: afterwards
• पश्चात्: Kala (Time/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पश्चात् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (afterwards)

• द्वे: two
• द्वे: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: द्वि (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), द्विवचन; संख्या-विशेषण

• शते: in (the period of) two hundreds
• शते: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), द्विवचन; अधिकरणे (in two hundreds)

• समपद्यत: he attained/entered (that state)
• समपद्यत: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम्+पद् (धातु)
• Form: लङ् (imperfect/past), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; आत्मनेपदम्

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Arbuda-parvata (Vasiṣṭhāśrama)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Ṛṣis (Naimiṣāraṇya assembly implied)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Vasiṣṭha in a forest hermitage, receiving fruits in a leaf-bowl, later shown with withered leaves as his only sustenance; time is conveyed through changing seasons and aging trees while the sage remains unwavering.

Characters & Entities

• Vasiṣṭha

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Steady self-restraint (niyama) and long endurance are portrayed as the foundation of spiritual power and divine grace.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The āśrama locale in Arbuda Khaṇḍa where Vasiṣṭha’s tapas is performed, contributing to the site’s sanctity.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Ascetic dietary observances: phalāhāra (fruit-diet) and later parṇāśana (leaf-eating) as forms of tapas.