Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 141

Devanagari script

त्यक्त्वा जलाशनं बाला पर्णादा ह्यभवच्च सा । ततः साऽर्द्राणि पर्णानि त्यक्त्वा शुष्काणि चाददे

Transliteration

tyaktvā jalāśanaṃ bālā parṇādā hyabhavacca sā | tataḥ sā'rdrāṇi parṇāni tyaktvā śuṣkāṇi cādade

Translation

その乙女は水も食も捨て、葉を食とする者となった。さらに湿った葉をも捨て、乾いた葉だけを取った。

Word by Word

• त्यक्त्वा: having given up
• त्यक्त्वा: Kriya (Gerundial action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: त्यज् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (absolutive/gerund); having abandoned

• जलाशनम्: water as food / drinking (water-intake)
• जलाशनम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जल + अशन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Accusative singular

• बाला: the young girl
• बाला: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: बाल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Nominative singular

• पर्णादा: leaf-eater
• पर्णादा: Karta (Subject complement/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पर्ण + अद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Nominative singular

• हि: indeed
• हि: Sambandha (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle), हेत्वर्थ/अवधारण

• अभवत्: became
• अभवत्: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: लङ्-लकार (अनद्यतन-भूत), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; Imperfect, 3rd person singular

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (conjunction)

• सा: she
• सा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Nominative singular pronoun

• ततः: then/thereafter
• ततः: Sambandha (Sequence)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: काल/क्रमवाचक-अव्यय (adverb)

• सा: she
• सा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Nominative singular pronoun

• आर्द्राणि: moist/green
• आर्द्राणि: Visheshana (Adjectival modifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: आर्द्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; Accusative plural (agreeing with पर्णानि)

• पर्णानि: leaves
• पर्णानि: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पर्ण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; Accusative plural

• त्यक्त्वा: having abandoned
• त्यक्त्वा: Kriya (Gerundial action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: त्यज् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (absolutive/gerund)

• शुष्काणि: dry
• शुष्काणि: Visheshana (Adjectival modifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शुष्क (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; Accusative plural (agreeing with पर्णानि understood)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (conjunction)

• आददे: took/accepted
• आददे: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ + दा (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (परोक्ष-भूत/परिपूर्ण), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; Perfect, 3rd person singular (Ātmanepada)

Speaker

Narrator (within Māheśvarakhaṇḍa context, traditionally Sūta/Lomaharṣaṇa)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kedāra-tapas-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The maiden renounces water and food, living on leaves; then she rejects moist leaves and takes only dry leaves—an image of escalating austerity in the Himalayan wild.

Characters & Entities

• Pārvatī (Girijā)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Progressive renunciation—reducing dependence on sustenance—symbolizes single-minded pursuit of the Divine.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kedāra is the implied setting where these austerities are performed as part of the site’s Mahātmya narrative.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Austerity through fasting and restricted diet (parṇāśana, then stricter) is described as a form of vrata-like discipline.