Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 26

Devanagari script

पञ्चाग्निसाधको ग्रीष्मे वर्षास्वाकाशमाश्रितः । जलाश्रयश्च हेमंत एकः स्यात्पुरुषः क्षितौ

Transliteration

pañcāgnisādhako grīṣme varṣāsvākāśamāśritaḥ | jalāśrayaśca hemaṃta ekaḥ syātpuruṣaḥ kṣitau

Translation

ഭൂമിയിൽ ഒരാൾ ഗ്രീഷ്മത്തിൽ പഞ്ചാഗ്നി-സാധന നടത്തുകയും, വർഷകാലത്ത് തുറന്ന ആകാശത്തിനടിയിൽ കഴിയുകയും, ഹേമന്തത്തിൽ ജലാശ്രയം സ്വീകരിക്കുകയും ചെയ്ത്—ഋതുക്കളനുസരിച്ച് കഠിന തപസ്സു അനുഷ്ഠിക്കാം।

Word by Word

• pañcāgnisādhakaḥ: practitioner of the five-fire austerity
• pañcāgnisādhakaḥ: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pañca-agni-sādhaka (प्रातिपदिक; पञ्च + अग्नि + साधक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• grīṣme: in summer
• grīṣme: Adhikarana (अधिकरण/Time)
• Type: Noun
• Root: grīṣma (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन (Singular)

• varṣāsu: in the rainy seasons
• varṣāsu: Adhikarana (अधिकरण/Time)
• Type: Noun
• Root: varṣā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), बहुवचन (Plural)

• ākāśam: the open sky
• ākāśam: Karma (कर्म/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ākāśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular)

• āśritaḥ: having resorted to, staying in
• āśritaḥ: Karta (कर्ता/Subject complement)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ā-√śri (श्रि धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (qualifying pañcāgnisādhakaḥ)

• jalāśrayaḥ: one who resorts to water (water-dweller)
• jalāśrayaḥ: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: jala-āśraya (प्रातिपदिक; जल + आश्रय)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

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

• hemante: in winter
• hemante: Adhikarana (अधिकरण/Time)
• Type: Noun
• Root: hemanta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन (Singular)

• ekaḥ: one (such person)
• ekaḥ: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: eka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• syāt: would be, may be
• syāt: Kriyā (क्रिया/Being)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √as (अस् धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ्-लकार (Optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular)

• puruṣaḥ: a man
• puruṣaḥ: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: puruṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• kṣitau: on earth
• kṣitau: Adhikarana (अधिकरण/Location)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kṣiti (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन (Singular)

Speaker

Nārada

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Viṣṇupadī (implied as comparator in surrounding verses)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: An ascetic performs pañcāgni in blazing summer—four fires around and the sun overhead; in monsoon he stands under open sky; in winter he remains immersed in water—showing seasonal austerities.

Characters & Entities

• pañcāgni-tapas
• tapas
• ṛtu (seasons)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Even the most rigorous austerities are presented as comparable to the grace available through an exalted tīrtha.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse sets up a comparison that culminates in Viṣṇupadī-tīrtha’s excellence in the following shloka.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Severe tapas: pañcāgni in summer, sky-exposure in monsoon, and water-dwelling in winter.