Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 42

Devanagari script

जलाहारा वायुभक्षाः पर्णाहाराश्च तापसाः । यथा स्थंडिलगा नित्यं ये चान्यनियमाः पृथक्

Transliteration

jalāhārā vāyubhakṣāḥ parṇāhārāśca tāpasāḥ | yathā sthaṃḍilagā nityaṃ ye cānyaniyamāḥ pṛthak

Translation

ജലാഹാരികളായും വായുഭക്ഷികളായും (പ്രാണാഹാരികളായും) പർണ്ണാഹാരികളായും ജീവിക്കുന്ന തപസ്വികൾ; അതുപോലെ നിത്യവും വെറും നിലത്ത് ശയിക്കുന്നവർ—മറ്റും വ്യത്യസ്തമായ മറ്റു നിയമങ്ങൾ പ്രത്യേകം പാലിക്കുന്നവർ.

Word by Word

• जलाहाराः: water-eaters (living on water)
• जलाहाराः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जल + आहार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; तत्पुरुष (जलम् आहारः येषाम्/जलाहारः)

• वायुभक्षाः: air-eaters
• वायुभक्षाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वायु + भक्ष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; तत्पुरुष (वायुः भक्ष्यः येषाम्)

• पर्णाहाराः: leaf-eaters
• पर्णाहाराः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पर्ण + आहार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; तत्पुरुष (पर्णम् आहारः येषाम्)

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Conjunction/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयार्थक (conjunction)

• तापसाः: ascetics
• तापसाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तापस (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन

• यथा: as/for example
• यथा: Sambandha-bodhaka (Comparative particle/अव्यय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; उपमान/प्रकारवाचक (as/just as)

• स्थण्डिलगाः: those who stay on bare ground
• स्थण्डिलगाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्थण्डिल + ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; तत्पुरुष (स्थण्डिले गच्छन्ति/स्थण्डिलगाः = ground-dwellers)

• नित्यम्: always
• नित्यम्: Kriya-vishesana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नित्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रियाविशेषण (adverb)

• ये: who (those who)
• ये: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; सम्बन्धबोधक (relative pronoun)

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Conjunction/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयार्थक (conjunction)

• अन्यनियमाः: other observances
• अन्यनियमाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अन्य + नियम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; कर्मधारय (अन्ये नियमाः)

• पृथक्: separately
• पृथक्: Kriya-vishesana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पृथक् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; भेद/विभागवाचक (separately)

Speaker

Śiva

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa (ascetic precincts/āśramas)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A sequence-like tableau of ascetics in the Prabhāsa region: one drinking only water, one practicing prāṇa-based restraint (vayu-bhakṣa), one eating leaves, and one lying on bare earth; all calm, focused, and radiant with tapas.

Characters & Entities

• tāpasas (ascetics)
• niyamas (austerities)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharma is supported by disciplined living; varied austerities are acknowledged as legitimate paths of tapas.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse sits within the Prācīna/Prabhāsa tīrtha praise, though it lists general tapas practices rather than a new site.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A catalogue of austerities: water-diet, breath-subsistence, leaf-diet, sleeping on bare ground, and other niyamas.