Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 21

Devanagari script

त्रैरात्रिकाः सांतपना निराहारास्तथा परे । केचित्पुष्प फलाहाराः शीर्णपर्णाशिनस्तथा

Transliteration

trairātrikāḥ sāṃtapanā nirāhārāstathā pare | kecitpuṣpa phalāhārāḥ śīrṇaparṇāśinastathā

Translation

ചിലർ ത്രൈരാത്രിക വ്രതം, ചിലർ സാന്തപന തപസ്സ്; മറ്റുള്ളവർ നിരാഹാരരായി. ചിലർ പുഷ്പ-ഫലാഹാരം, ചിലർ വീണ ഇലകളെ മാത്രം ഭക്ഷിച്ചു।

Word by Word

• त्रैरात्रिकाः: three-night (vow) observers
• त्रैरात्रिकाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्रैरात्रिक (प्रातिपदिक; त्रि + रात्रि)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; द्विगुसमासः (त्रि-रात्रि)

• सांतपनाः: performers of the sāṃtapana penance
• सांतपनाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सांतपन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• निराहाराः: fasting (without food)
• निराहाराः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: निराहार (प्रातिपदिक; निर् + आहार)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• तथा: likewise/also
• तथा: Sambandha (Discourse connective)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अव्यय-प्रकारः—समुच्चय/रीत्यर्थ (in like manner/also)

• परे: others
• परे: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• केचित्: some
• केचित्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + चित् (अव्यय-प्रत्यय)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; अनिश्चितवाचक-सर्वनाम (some)

• पुष्पफलाहाराः: those who subsist on flowers and fruits
• पुष्पफलाहाराः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुष्प (प्रातिपदिक) + फल (प्रातिपदिक) + आहार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (पुष्प-फल-आहारः = whose food is flowers and fruits)

• शीर्णपर्णाशिनः: eaters of fallen leaves
• शीर्णपर्णाशिनः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शीर्ण (कृदन्त; √शॄ/शॄञ् ‘to decay/fall’ क्त) + पर्ण (प्रातिपदिक) + आशिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; तत्पुरुषः (शीर्ण-पर्ण-आशिन् = eater of fallen leaves)

• तथा: likewise/also
• तथा: Sambandha (Discourse connective)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय/रीत्यर्थ

Speaker

Deductive (Prabhāsa-kṣetra-māhātmya narration; likely Sūta/Lomaharṣaṇa addressing sages)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kṛtasmara-parvata (Prabhāsa)

Type: peak

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Multiple groups of ascetics each following a distinct observance: three-night vow, sāṃtapana, complete fasting, fruit-and-flower diet, and eating only fallen leaves—set in a quiet hermitage on a sacred hill.

Characters & Entities

• Trairātrika vrata
• Sāṃtapana tapas
• Nirāhāra
• Puṣpa-phalāhāra
• Śīrṇaparṇāśana

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Self-restraint through graded vows—ranging from minimal diet to complete fasting—supports purification and spiritual focus.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The ascetic community of Kṛtasmara Parvata within Prabhāsa-kṣetra.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Three-night observances (trairātrika), Sāṃtapana penance, nirāhāra (complete fasting), and regulated ascetic diets.