Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 12

Devanagari script

मूलशाकफलैश्चान्यं कालं नयति बुद्धिमान् । किंचित्कालं वसंस्तत्र तीर्थे शैवालभोजनः

Transliteration

mūlaśākaphalaiścānyaṃ kālaṃ nayati buddhimān | kiṃcitkālaṃ vasaṃstatra tīrthe śaivālabhojanaḥ

Translation

ബുദ്ധിമാൻ മൂലങ്ങളും ശാകങ്ങളും ഫലങ്ങളും ആഹാരമാക്കി കുറെക്കാലം കൂടി കഴിച്ചു. പിന്നെ കുറെകാലം ആ തീർത്ഥത്തിൽ വസിച്ച് ജലക്കായ് (ശൈവാലം) തന്നെയായി ആഹാരം സ്വീകരിച്ചു ജീവിച്ചു.

Word by Word

• मूल: with roots
• मूल: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मूल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/करण), बहुवचन; ‘मूलशाकफलैः’ इत्यत्र समाहार-समुच्चयार्थे

• शाक: with vegetables/greens
• शाक: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शाक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/करण), बहुवचन; ‘मूलशाकफलैः’ इत्यत्र

• फलैः: with fruits
• फलैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: फल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/करण), बहुवचन

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

• अन्यम्: another (portion of)
• अन्यम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अन्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन; ‘कालम्’ इति विशेष्यस्य विशेषणम्

• कालम्: time
• कालम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन

• नयति: spends/leads (time)
• नयति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: नी (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• बुद्धिमान्: the wise man
• बुद्धिमान्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: बुद्धिमत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/कर्ता), एकवचन; कर्तृपद

• किंचित्: some/a little
• किंचित्: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: किंचित् (अव्यय/सर्वनाम-निपात)
• Form: परिमाणवाचक-अव्यय (adverbial quantifier)

• कालम्: time
• कालम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन; ‘वसन्’ क्रियायाः कालावधि

• वसन्: dwelling/staying
• वसन्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वस् (धातु) + शतृ (कृदन्त)
• Form: वर्तमानकाले शतृ-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्तरि प्रयोगः

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

• तीर्थे: at the sacred ford/place of pilgrimage
• तीर्थे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/अधिकरण), एकवचन

• शैवालभोजनः: one whose food is algae (algae-eater)
• शैवालभोजनः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शैवाल (प्रातिपदिक) + भोजन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुषसमास (षष्ठी/कर्मधारय-सम्भवः): शैवालं भोजनं यस्य/शैवालं भुङ्क्ते इति; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

Speaker

Narrator (contextual Purāṇic narration; likely Sūta)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā (Narmadā) tīrtha

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: A respectful inquirer addressed as ‘mānada’ in the surrounding context

Visual Art Cues

Scene: An ascetic at the Revā riverbank lives on roots, greens, and fruits; later he gathers aquatic moss near the water’s edge, dwelling in a humble riverside hermitage amid reeds and stones.

Characters & Entities

• Tīrtha (the saṅgama)
• Kubera (implied)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Renunciation of comfort through restrained diet and tīrtha-residence is portrayed as a powerful support for spiritual attainment.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The same tīrtha at the confluence is emphasized as a place fit for sustained austerity.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Ahāra-niyama (regulated diet): living on roots/greens/fruits, and even śaivāla (aquatic moss) while staying at the tīrtha.