Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 57

Devanagari script

ततः कृच्छ्रव्रतं चक्रे ततः सांतपनं च सा । षष्ठान्नकालभोज्या च सा चाभूद्वत्सरत्रयम्

Transliteration

tataḥ kṛcchravrataṃ cakre tataḥ sāṃtapanaṃ ca sā | ṣaṣṭhānnakālabhojyā ca sā cābhūdvatsaratrayam

Translation

แล้วนางได้ปฏิบัติพรต “กฤจฉระ” ต่อจากนั้นจึงปฏิบัติพรต “สางตปนะ” อีกด้วย และตลอดสามปีนางรับประทานอาหารได้เพียงในกาลแห่งภัตตะครั้งที่หกเท่านั้น ด้วยความสำรวมอันเคร่งครัด

Word by Word

• ततः: thereafter
• ततः: Kāla-adhikaraṇa (Temporal adverbial/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatas (अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (क्रियाविशेषणम्/सम्बन्धबोधकः) = ‘तस्मात्/तदनन्तरम्’ (thereafter)

• कृच्छ्रव्रतम्: the kṛcchra vow
• कृच्छ्रव्रतम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kṛcchra (प्रातिपदिक) + vrata (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (कर्म), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (कृच्छ्रं नाम व्रतम्)

• चक्रे: performed
• चक्रे: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kṛ (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (परोक्षभूत/Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, आत्मनेपदम्

• ततः: then
• ततः: Kāla-adhikaraṇa (Temporal adverbial/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatas (अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (क्रियाविशेषणम्) = ‘तदनन्तरम्’

• सांतपनम्: the sāṃtapana (penance/vow)
• सांतपनम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sāṃtapana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (कर्म), एकवचन

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Conjunction/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (समुच्चयबोधक-निपातः) = ‘and’

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

• षष्ठान्नकालभोज्या: one who ate at the sixth meal-time
• षष्ठान्नकालभोज्या: Viśeṣaṇa (Adjectival to ‘सा’)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ṣaṣṭha (प्रातिपदिक) + anna (प्रातिपदिक) + kāla (प्रातिपदिक) + bhojya (प्रातिपदिक/कृदन्त-भाव)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (कर्ता-विशेषण), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (षष्ठे अन्नकाले भोज्या = ‘to be eaten at the sixth meal-time’)

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Conjunction/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (समुच्चयबोधक)

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

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Conjunction/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (समुच्चयबोधक)

• अभूत्: became/was
• अभूत्: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: bhū (धातु)
• Form: लुङ् (अद्यतनभूत/Aorist), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपदम्

• वत्सरत्रयम्: for three years
• वत्सरत्रयम्: Kāla-adhikaraṇa (Duration/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vatsara (प्रातिपदिक) + traya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (कालपरिमाण-उपपद), एकवचन; समासः—द्विगुः (त्रयो वत्सराः)

Speaker

Sūta (narrative continuation)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kund

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A devoted woman performing severe vows: sparse meal at prescribed time, simple garments, prayerful posture near a sacred water-body; attendants or sages observing her discipline.

Characters & Entities

• Kṛcchra
• Sāṃtapana

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Steady, escalating austerities—undertaken over years—are portrayed as a path of purification and spiritual power.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse continues the tīrtha-context narrative but focuses on the vows rather than naming the site.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Kṛcchra-vrata, Sāṃtapana-vrata, and a prolonged regimen of highly restricted eating.