Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 83

Devanagari script

यथायथा सा कुरुते कन्दमूलफलाशनम् । तनुत्वं याति कायेन तथा चैव दिनेदिने

Transliteration

yathāyathā sā kurute kandamūlaphalāśanam | tanutvaṃ yāti kāyena tathā caiva dinedine

Translation

Tatkala dia hanya memakan umbisi, akar dan buah-buahan, maka dari hari ke hari tubuhnya semakin susut dan kurus.

Word by Word

• यथा: as/just as
• यथा: Modifier (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (correlative adverb)

• यथा: as and as/whenever
• यथा: Modifier (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (repetition for distributive/iterative sense)

• सा: she
• सा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम; स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• कुरुते: does/undertakes
• कुरुते: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

• कन्दमूलफलाशनम्: eating of bulbs, roots, and fruits
• कन्दमूलफलाशनम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कन्द + मूल + फल + आशन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समाहार-द्वन्द्व (collective copulative: ‘bulbs, roots, fruits’ + ‘eating’); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन

• तनुत्वम्: thinness
• तनुत्वम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तनुत्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• याति: goes/attains
• याति: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: या (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• कायेन: in/with the body
• कायेन: Karana (Instrument/Means/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), एकवचन; साधन/अवयव-निर्देशः

• तथा: so/likewise
• तथा: Modifier (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (correlative adverb)

• च: and
• च: Connector (Conjunction)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक अव्यय (conjunction)

• एव: indeed
• एव: Modifier (Emphasis/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (emphasis)

• दिने: in a day
• दिने: Adhikarana (Time/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दिन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन

• दिने: day by day
• दिने: Adhikarana (Time/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दिन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन; पुनरुक्ति—‘day by day’

Speaker

Male narrator within the episode (first-person account)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Day by day, the daughter eats only bulbs, roots, and fruits; her body grows thinner—an austere, poignant image of gradual emaciation in the hermitage.

Characters & Entities

• Kandamūla-phala (forest fare)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Austerity is portrayed as real, embodied restraint, not merely an idea—its effects appear in daily life.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The episode continues within the Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra glorification framework of Adhyāya 185.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A dietary austerity (kandamūla-phala-āśana) is mentioned as part of ascetic practice.