Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 120

Devanagari script

पंचगव्याशनो मासं मासं चांद्रायणव्रती । मासं कुशाग्रजलभुङ्मासं श्वसनभक्षणः

Transliteration

paṃcagavyāśano māsaṃ māsaṃ cāṃdrāyaṇavratī | māsaṃ kuśāgrajalabhuṅmāsaṃ śvasanabhakṣaṇaḥ

Translation

ഒരു മാസം പഞ്ചഗവ്യം ആഹാരമാക്കുന്നു; ഒരു മാസം ചാന്ദ്രായണ വ്രതം അനുഷ്ഠിക്കുന്നു; ഒരു മാസം കുശാഗ്രത്തിൽ നിന്നെടുത്ത ജലം മാത്രം കുടിച്ച് ജീവിക്കുന്നു; മറ്റൊരു മാസം ശ്വാസം മാത്രമേ ആഹാരമെന്നപോലെ നിലകൊള്ളുന്നു।

Word by Word

• पञ्चगव्याशनः: one who eats pañcagavya
• पञ्चगव्याशनः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पञ्चगव्य (प्रातिपदिक) + आशन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष (pañcagavyaṃ aśnāti iti/pañcagavyasya āśanaḥ), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• मासम्: for a month
• मासम्: Kala-adhikarana (Time extent/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मास (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; कालावधि (duration)

• मासम्: for a month
• मासम्: Kala-adhikarana (Time extent/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मास (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; पुनरुक्ति (repetition for sequence)

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

• आन्द्रायणव्रती: an observer of the Cāndrāyaṇa vow
• आन्द्रायणव्रती: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आन्द्रायण (प्रातिपदिक) + व्रतिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष (āndrāyaṇaṃ vrataṃ yasya/āndrāyaṇavratam ācarati), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• मासम्: for a month
• मासम्: Kala-adhikarana (Time extent/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मास (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कालावधि

• कुशाग्रजलभुक्: one who consumes water from the tip of kuśa grass
• कुशाग्रजलभुक्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कुश (प्रातिपदिक) + अग्र (प्रातिपदिक) + जल (प्रातिपदिक) + भुज् (धातु) → भुक् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: बहुपद-तत्पुरुष (kuśāgrasya jalaṃ bhunakti iti), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• मासम्: for a month
• मासम्: Kala-adhikarana (Time extent/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मास (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कालावधि

• श्वसनभक्षणः: one who ‘eats’ only breath (i.e., lives on air)
• श्वसनभक्षणः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्वसन (प्रातिपदिक) + भक्षण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष (śvasanaṃ bhakṣayati iti/śvasanasya bhakṣaṇaḥ), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa dialogue style)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī (contextual)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: null

Visual Art Cues

Scene: An ascetic in Kāśī practices a four-month regimen: pañcagavya diet, then Cāndrāyaṇa, then kuśa-tip water, then deep prāṇāyāma symbolized as ‘breath as food’; the scene alternates months like panels.

Characters & Entities

• Pañcagavya
• Cāndrāyaṇa
• Kuśa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purāṇic dharma recognizes graded austerities—dietary restraints and vows—as means of purification and focused devotion.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The broader setting is Kāśīkhaṇḍa; the verse emphasizes vrata/tapas rather than naming a single tirtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Four month-long disciplines: pañcagavya diet, Cāndrāyaṇa vow, kuśāgra-jala (kuśa-tip water), and prāṇa-only fasting.