Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 9

Devanagari script

अतिष्ठद्वायुभक्षश्च वर्षाणां शतकं किल । अम्बुभक्षः सहस्रं तु शाकाहारोऽयुतं तथा

Transliteration

atiṣṭhadvāyubhakṣaśca varṣāṇāṃ śatakaṃ kila | ambubhakṣaḥ sahasraṃ tu śākāhāro'yutaṃ tathā

Translation

On dit qu’il demeura en se nourrissant d’air pendant cent ans; puis d’eau pendant mille; et de même, de simples verdures pendant dix mille ans.

Word by Word

• अतिष्ठत्: stood/remained
• अतिष्ठत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्था (धातु)
• Form: लङ् (Imperfect/past), परस्मैपदम्, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (singular)

• वायुभक्षः: one who feeds on air
• वायुभक्षः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वायु (प्रातिपदिक) + भक्ष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (masculine), प्रथमा (1st case), एकवचन (singular)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक अव्यय (conjunction)

• वर्षाणाम्: of years
• वर्षाणाम्: Sambandha (Genitive/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वर्ष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (neuter), षष्ठी (6th case/genitive), बहुवचन (plural)

• शतकम्: a hundred (years)
• शतकम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शतक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (neuter), द्वितीया (2nd case/accusative) (कालपरिमाणे), एकवचन (singular)

• किल: indeed/it is said
• किल: Sambandha (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: किल (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle; hearsay/emphasis)

• अम्बुभक्षः: one who feeds on water
• अम्बुभक्षः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अम्बु (प्रातिपदिक) + भक्ष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (masculine), प्रथमा (1st case), एकवचन (singular)

• सहस्रम्: a thousand (years)
• सहस्रम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सहस्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (neuter), द्वितीया (2nd case/accusative) (कालपरिमाणे), एकवचन (singular)

• तु: but/indeed
• तु: Sambandha (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle; contrast/emphasis)

• शाकाहारः: one who eats vegetables/greens
• शाकाहारः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शाक (प्रातिपदिक) + आहार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (masculine), प्रथमा (1st case), एकवचन (singular)

• अयुतम्: ten thousand (years)
• अयुतम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अयुत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (neuter), द्वितीया (2nd case/accusative) (कालपरिमाणे), एकवचन (singular)

• तथा: likewise/so
• तथा: Sambandha (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: क्रियाविशेषण (adverb)

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra (tapas-siddhi field)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Devī (Pārvatī)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Jaigīṣavya’s tapas is quantified: living on air for a century, on water for a millennium, and on greens for ten thousand years—an escalating portrait of endurance and inner heat.

Characters & Entities

• Jaigīṣavya
• Prabhāsa-kṣetra (context)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Steadfast self-restraint and endurance, when rooted in sacred purpose, are portrayed as powerful means toward spiritual accomplishment.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa-kṣetra by implication, as the locus where these austerities were undertaken.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Ascetic dietary vows (air-only, water-only, greens-only) as modes of tapas.