Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 18

Devanagari script

वर्षास्वासारसहनं हेमंतेषु जलेशयः । ग्रीष्मे पंचाग्निमध्यस्थो विष्णुध्यानपरायणः

Transliteration

varṣāsvāsārasahanaṃ hemaṃteṣu jaleśayaḥ | grīṣme paṃcāgnimadhyastho viṣṇudhyānaparāyaṇaḥ

Translation

ในฤดูฝนท่านอดทนต่อสายฝนกระหน่ำ; ในฤดูหนาวท่านนอนแช่อยู่ในน้ำ; ในฤดูร้อนท่านนั่งท่ามกลางไฟทั้งห้า—มุ่งมั่นอยู่ในสมาธิภาวนาถึงพระวิษณุเสมอ

Word by Word

• वर्षासु: in the rainy seasons
• वर्षासु: Adhikarana (Location/Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वर्षा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th case), बहुवचन

• आसारसहनम्: endurance of downpour
• आसारसहनम्: Karma (Predicate nominal/कर्म-भाव)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आसार (प्रातिपदिक) + सहन (प्रातिपदिक; सह् धातु-सम्भव)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समासः (आसारस्य सहनम्); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; (अध्याहृतं ‘अकरोत्/आसीत्’ इत्यर्थे)

• हेमन्तेषु: in the winters
• हेमन्तेषु: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हेमन्त (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, बहुवचन

• जलेशयः: one who lay in water
• जलेशयः: Karta (Predicate nominal/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जल (प्रातिपदिक) + शय (प्रातिपदिक; शी/शय् धातु-सम्भव)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समासः (जले शयः/शयनम्); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; (अध्याहृतं ‘आसीत्’)

• ग्रीष्मे: in summer
• ग्रीष्मे: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ग्रीष्म (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन

• पंचाग्निमध्यस्थः: standing amid five fires
• पंचाग्निमध्यस्थः: Visheshana (Predicate adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पञ्च (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक) + अग्नि (प्रातिपदिक) + मध्य (प्रातिपदिक) + स्थ (कृदन्त; स्था धातु)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समासः (पञ्चानां अग्नीनां मध्ये स्थः); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• विष्णुध्यानपरायणः: devoted to meditation on Vishnu
• विष्णुध्यानपरायणः: Visheshana (Predicate adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: विष्णु (प्रातिपदिक) + ध्यान (प्रातिपदिक) + परायण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समासः (विष्णोः ध्याने परायणः); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

Speaker

Narrator (contextual Purāṇic narrator within Setukhaṇḍa)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Setukṣetra (Setubandha)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Triptych-like depiction: monsoon—sage enduring heavy rain; winter—sage lying in water; summer—sage seated amid five fires, eyes closed in Viṣṇu meditation.

Characters & Entities

• Viṣṇu

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

True devotion remains steady through discomfort; tapas becomes meaningful when anchored in dhyāna on the Lord.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Setukṣetra is the implied pilgrimage-sacred setting where such rigorous practices are narrated as meritorious.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Pañcāgni-tapas is explicitly mentioned, along with seasonal austerities and Viṣṇu-meditation.