Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 123

Devanagari script

कृत्वा कृच्छ्रत्रयं पूर्वं जप्त्वा लक्षं दशैव तु । शाकयावकभुक्चैव शुचिस्त्रिषवणो नृप

Transliteration

kṛtvā kṛcchratrayaṃ pūrvaṃ japtvā lakṣaṃ daśaiva tu | śākayāvakabhukcaiva śucistriṣavaṇo nṛpa

Translation

ഹേ നൃപാ, ആദ്യം മൂന്ന് കൃച്ഛ്രവ്രതങ്ങൾ അനുഷ്ഠിച്ച്, പത്ത് ലക്ഷം ജപം ചെയ്തു; ശാകവും യവകവും (യവകഞ്ഞി) ആഹാരമാക്കി, ശുചിയായി നിന്ന്, ത്രിസന്ധ്യാകർമ്മം പാലിക്കണം.

Word by Word

• kṛtvā: having done
• kṛtvā: Kriya (Action qualifier/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: kṛ (धातु) + tvā (कृत्)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (gerund/absolutive)

• kṛcchra-trayam: three kṛcchra penances
• kṛcchra-trayam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kṛcchra + traya (प्रातिपदिके)
• Form: द्विगुसमास (संख्यापूर्वक); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन (neuter acc sg)

• pūrvam: previously; first
• pūrvam: Adhikaraṇa (Temporal/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: pūrva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (adverb: 'before/first')

• japtvā: having recited
• japtvā: Kriya (Action qualifier/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: jap (धातु) + tvā (कृत्)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (gerund)

• lakṣam: a lakh (100,000)
• lakṣam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: lakṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन (neuter acc sg)

• daśa: ten
• daśa: Viśeṣaṇa (Quantifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: daśan (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन; संख्याशब्द (numeral, acc sg used adverbially with lakṣam)

• eva: indeed; exactly
• eva: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारणार्थक-अव्यय (emphatic particle)

• tu: and; but
• tu: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: विरोध/अन्वयार्थक-अव्यय (particle: 'but/and then')

• śākayāvaka-bhuk: one who eats vegetables and barley-gruel
• śākayāvaka-bhuk: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śāka + yāvaka + bhuj (धातु) → bhuk (प्रातिपदिक/कृदन्त)
• Form: तत्पुरुषसमास (उपपद: 'śāka-yāvaka' as object) + कृदन्त 'bhuk' (भुज्-धातोः क्विप्/क्विन्-प्रत्ययान्त, 'eater'); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन (masc nom sg)

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

• eva: indeed
• eva: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारणार्थक-अव्यय (emphasis)

• śuciḥ: pure; clean
• śuciḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śuci (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; विशेषण (masc nom sg)

• triṣavaṇaḥ: (observing) the three daily rites
• triṣavaṇaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tri + savana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुषसमास (द्विगु-भावेन 'three savanas' → 'one who observes thrice-daily'); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन (masc nom sg)

• nṛpa: O king
• nṛpa: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nṛpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8), एकवचन (masc voc sg)

Speaker

Mārkaṇḍeya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā-tīrtha (Narmadā)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Yudhiṣṭhira

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A disciplined votary near the Narmadā: seated with japa-mālā, thin from austerity, with a small pot of yāvaka gruel and a bundle of greens; sunrise-noon-sunset indicated as three sandhyā moments with arghya offerings.

Characters & Entities

• Mārkaṇḍeya
• Yudhiṣṭhira

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Great spiritual claims are grounded in tapas (austerity), purity, and sustained mantra-discipline.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

This is part of the Revā Khaṇḍa tīrtha-context, preparing the practitioner for the rite associated with the later-mentioned Jvāleśvara-Tīrtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Three Kṛcchra penances, one million mantra recitations, a regulated diet (greens and barley), and tri-sandhyā observance.