Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 3

Devanagari script

एके विप्राः स्थितास्तेषामेकांतरितभोजनाः । षष्ठकालाशिनश्चान्ये चांद्रायणपरायणाः

Transliteration

eke viprāḥ sthitāsteṣāmekāṃtaritabhojanāḥ | ṣaṣṭhakālāśinaścānye cāṃdrāyaṇaparāyaṇāḥ

Translation

അവരിൽ ചില വിപ്രർ ഒരു ദിവസം വിട്ട് ഒരു ദിവസം മാത്രം ഭക്ഷണം കഴിച്ചു; ചിലർ ഷഷ്ഠകാലത്ത് മാത്രം ആഹാരം സ്വീകരിച്ചു; മറ്റുചിലർ ചാന്ദ്രായണ വ്രതത്തിൽ പൂർണ്ണമായി പരായണരായിരുന്നു।

Word by Word

• eke: some
• eke: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: eka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा विभक्ति, बहुवचन; ‘some’ (indefinite plural)

• viprāḥ: brāhmaṇas
• viprāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vipra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• sthitāḥ: remained/stood
• sthitāḥ: Kriya (Predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sthā (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; ‘standing/remaining’

• teṣām: of them
• teṣām: Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; षष्ठी विभक्ति (Genitive/6th), बहुवचन

• ekaantaritabhojanāḥ: eating every other day
• ekaantaritabhojanāḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: eka-antarita-bhojana (प्रातिपदिक; एक + अन्तरित + भोजन)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा विभक्ति, बहुवचन; ‘eating at intervals of one (day)’

• ṣaṣṭhakālāśinaḥ: eating at the sixth period
• ṣaṣṭhakālāśinaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ṣaṣṭha-kāla-āśin (प्रातिपदिक; षष्ठ + काल + आशिन्)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा विभक्ति, बहुवचन; ‘eating at the sixth time/period’

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Conjunction)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय (and)

• anye: others
• anye: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: anya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• cāndrāyaṇaparāyaṇāḥ: devoted to the Cāndrāyaṇa observance
• cāndrāyaṇaparāyaṇāḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: cāndrāyaṇa-parāyaṇa (प्रातिपदिक; चान्द्रायण + परायण)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा विभक्ति, बहुवचन; ‘devoted to the Cāndrāyaṇa vow’

Speaker

Viśvāmitra

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Himavān-āśrama context (vrata-bhūmi)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Implied internal audience

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A sequence-like depiction of different ascetics: one group eating on alternate days, another taking sparse meals at a fixed time, another performing cāndrāyaṇa with lunar symbols overhead; all within a calm hermitage.

Characters & Entities

• Brāhmaṇas
• Cāndrāyaṇa (vrata)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Austerity is refined through restraint in food; measured living supports inner clarity and dharmic strength.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The tīrtha-āśrama setting in the Himālaya region, where vows like Cāndrāyaṇa are practiced to intensify sanctity.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Cāndrāyaṇa vrata and strict dietary regimens (alternate-day eating, time-bound eating) are referenced as forms of tapas.