Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 63

Devanagari script

एकाङ्गुष्ठो निराहारो वर्षादा षोडशान्नृप । तोषयामास देवेशमुमया सह शङ्करम्

Transliteration

ekāṅguṣṭho nirāhāro varṣādā ṣoḍaśānnṛpa | toṣayāmāsa deveśamumayā saha śaṅkaram

Translation

Wahai raja, dengan berdiri di atas satu ibu jari kaki dan berpuasa tanpa makan, selama enam belas tahun dia telah memuaskan hati Śaṅkara, Tuhan para dewa, bersama Umā.

Word by Word

• एकाङ्गुष्ठः: (one who is) on one toe / with one toe
• एकाङ्गुष्ठः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: एक + अङ्गुष्ठ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन; विशेषण-प्रयोगः (adjectival)

• निराहारः: without food, fasting
• निराहारः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: निर् + आहार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (fasting)

• वर्षात्: for a year / from (the period of) a year
• वर्षात्: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वर्ष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (Ablative), एकवचन; कालावधि-निर्देशः

• षोडशान्: sixteen
• षोडशान्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: षोडश (संख्यावाचक-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), बहुवचन; संख्या-विशेषण

• नृप: O king
• नृप: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नृप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative), एकवचन

• तोषयामास: pleased / propitiated
• तोषयामास: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: तुष् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), परस्मैपद, प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; causative sense (to cause to be pleased)

• देवेशम्: the Lord of gods
• देवेशम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव + ईश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• उमया: with Umā
• उमया: Sahakaraka (Association/सह)
• Type: Noun
• Root: उमा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental), एकवचन

• सह: together with
• सह: Sahakaraka (Association/सह)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सह (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; उपसर्गसदृश-निपातः/सह-शब्दः (preposition-like particle)

• शङ्करम्: Śaṅkara (Śiva)
• शङ्करम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शङ्कर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; देवेशस्य विशेषणरूपेण (appositional)

Speaker

Narrator (implied Vaiśampāyana) to Yudhiṣṭhira

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā-tīrtha (contextual; the specific tīrtha where Pippalāda petitions Śiva)

Type: tirtha

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: King (nṛpa) addressed by the narrator

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A lone ascetic (Pippalāda) stands on one toe in severe penance, emaciated yet radiant, beneath a sacred tree near the river; in the subtle background, Śiva with Umā is envisioned, receiving the tapas.

Characters & Entities

• Śaṅkara (Śiva)
• Umā (Pārvatī)
• Pippalāda (implied)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sincere austerity and self-restraint can transform a troubled heart and draw the compassionate attention of Umā-Maheśvara.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The practice is set by the Narmadā (Revā) banks, a hallmark sacred landscape of the Revā Khaṇḍa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Austerity (tapas) and fasting (nirāhāra), including standing on one toe (ekāṅguṣṭha-vrata-like discipline), performed over a long period.