Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 3

Devanagari script

एकाहारवशेऽतिष्ठद्द्वादशाब्दं महाव्रती । अत्र तीर्थे विधानेन चिन्तयन् वै महेश्वरम्

Transliteration

ekāhāravaśe'tiṣṭhaddvādaśābdaṃ mahāvratī | atra tīrthe vidhānena cintayan vai maheśvaram

Translation

മഹാവ്രതധാരി ഇവിടെ പന്ത്രണ്ടു വർഷം ഏകാഹാരത്തിൽ നിലകൊണ്ടു. ഈ തീർത്ഥത്തിൽ വിധിപൂർവ്വം മഹേശ്വരനെ ധ്യാനിച്ചു.

Word by Word

• ekāhāravaśe: in the state of being under the rule of one meal
• ekāhāravaśe: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ekāhāra (प्रातिपदिक) + vaśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन; समासः—एकाहारस्य वशः इति षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः; अर्थे ‘एकाहार-नियमाधीनत्वे’ (locative of condition)

• atiṣṭhat: he stayed/remained
• atiṣṭhat: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sthā (स्था धातु)
• Form: लङ् (Imperfect/past), परस्मैपदम्, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; धातोः—स्था; अर्थः ‘अतिष्ठत्/स्थितवान्’

• dvādaśābdam: for twelve years
• dvādaśābdam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dvādaśa (प्रातिपदिक) + abda (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; समासः—द्वादश अब्दाः यस्य/परिमाणम् इति द्विगुः; कालपरिमाणे कर्मप्रवचनीय-भावः (accusative of duration)

• mahāvratī: the great-vowed ascetic
• mahāvratī: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahā (प्रातिपदिक) + vrata (प्रातिपदिक) + -in (तद्धित प्रत्यय)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; समासः—महच्च तत् व्रतम् इति कर्मधारयः; ‘महाव्रतिन्’ (one observing a great vow)

• atra: here
• atra: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atra (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक क्रियाविशेषणम् (locative adverb)

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

• vidhānena: by the prescribed procedure
• vidhānena: Karana (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vidhāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), एकवचन; करणवाचक (instrumental of manner/means)

• cintayan: meditating/thinking
• cintayan: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: cint (चिन्त् धातु)
• Form: वर्तमान कृदन्तः (शतृ/Present active participle), परस्मैपदी; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘चिन्तयन्’ = thinking/meditating

• vai: indeed
• vai: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vai (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपातः (emphatic particle)

• maheśvaram: Maheshvara (Śiva)
• maheśvaram: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: maheśvara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन

Speaker

Mārkaṇḍeya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Brahmāvarta-tīrtha (implied by v.31.4)

Type: ghat

Visual Art Cues

Scene: An ascetic mahāvratī seated on a riverbank tīrtha, calm and emaciated from ekāhāra, performing inward dhyāna on Maheśvara; the Revā’s waters flow quietly, with a small altar and bilva leaves nearby.

Characters & Entities

• Maheśvara (Śiva)
• Brahmā
• Brahmāvarta (Tīrtha)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Disciplined living (vrata) joined with correct ritual method (vidhi) culminates in focused remembrance of Śiva.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Brahmāvarta Tīrtha, where prolonged austerity and meditation on Maheśvara are described.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Ekāhāra (single-meal discipline) and vidhāna-based meditation on Maheśvara at the tīrtha.