Skanda Purana — Vishnu Khanda, Shloka 197

Devanagari script

एकाहारस्तु यस्तिष्ठेन्मासं तत्र यतव्रतः । यावज्जीवकृतं पापं सहसा तस्य नश्यति

Transliteration

ekāhārastu yastiṣṭhenmāsaṃ tatra yatavrataḥ | yāvajjīvakṛtaṃ pāpaṃ sahasā tasya naśyati

Translation

Mais celui qui y demeure un mois, observant son vœu avec maîtrise et ne prenant qu’un seul repas par jour, voit s’anéantir d’un coup les péchés amassés durant toute sa vie.

Word by Word

• एकाहारः: one who eats once (a day)
• एकाहारः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एक (प्रातिपदिक) + आहार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; ‘एक-आहार’ = एकवारं आहारः यस्य/एकभोजनः (one-meal regimen)

• तु: indeed
• तु: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारणार्थक अव्यय

• यः: who
• यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; सम्बन्धबोधक

• तिष्ठेत्: should remain
• तिष्ठेत्: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √स्था (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद (should stay/remain)

• मासम्: for a month
• मासम्: Karma (Extent/कर्म-काल)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मास (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; कालावधि (duration)

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक अव्यय

• यतव्रतः: disciplined in vows
• यतव्रतः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: यत (कृदन्त; √यम् धातु, क्त) + व्रत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘यत-व्रत’ = संयतं व्रतं यस्य/संयमी (disciplined in vows), यः इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

• यावत्: as long as
• यावत्: Sambandha (Correlative/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यावत् (अव्यय)
• Form: परिमाण/अवधिबोधक अव्यय (as much as/so long as)

• जीव: life
• जीव: Sambandha (Compound member/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जीव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, अव्ययभावे (in compound), ‘life’

• कृतम्: done
• कृतम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: √कृ (धातु)
• Form: क्त (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘जीवकृतम्’ इति समासे—जीवेन कृतम् (done during life)

• पापम्: sin
• पापम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; नश्यति इत्यस्य कर्ता

• सहसा: at once
• सहसा: Kriya-vishesana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सहसा (अव्यय)
• Form: क्रियाविशेषण अव्यय (suddenly/at once)

• तस्य: of him
• तस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसक, षष्ठी, एकवचन; सम्बन्ध (of him)

• नश्यति: perishes
• नश्यति: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √नश् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

Speaker

Brahmā (deduced: Vaiṣṇavakhaṇḍa narrative style—Brahmā to Nārada)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Ayodhyā-kṣetra (general kṣetra-vāsa)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A restrained pilgrim residing in Ayodhyā for a month, taking one simple meal, seated near the Sarayū with prayer beads; temples and ghāṭas in the background; a calm aura of purification.

Characters & Entities

• Gopratāra Tīrtha (implied by context 'tatra')
• Ekāhāra (one meal)
• Vrata

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Austerity undertaken at a sanctified site, with self-restraint, becomes a powerful means of purification.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The context indicates Gopratāra Tīrtha in Ayodhyā.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Residing for one month at the tīrtha while observing ekāhāra (single daily meal) and a disciplined vow.