Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 54

Devanagari script

षष्ठान्नकालभोज्यस्य व्रतचर्यारतस्य च । एवं तस्याऽपि संस्थस्य गतः कालो महान्मुने । न च तुष्यति देवेश स्ताभ्यां द्वाभ्यां कथञ्चन

Transliteration

ṣaṣṭhānnakālabhojyasya vratacaryāratasya ca | evaṃ tasyā'pi saṃsthasya gataḥ kālo mahānmune | na ca tuṣyati deveśa stābhyāṃ dvābhyāṃ kathañcana

Translation

แม้เขาจะฉันเพียงในกาลอาหารครั้งที่หก และยินดีในวัตรและจริยา—โอ้มหามุนี—กาลเวลายาวนานผ่านไปขณะเขาตั้งมั่นในตบะ; กระนั้นพระเทวेशก็หาได้พอพระทัยด้วยสองสิ่งนั้นเพียงอย่างเดียวไม่

Word by Word

• षष्ठ: sixth
• षष्ठ: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier within compound/समासाङ्ग)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: षष्ठ (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुंलिङ्ग-सम्भाव्य; समासपूर्वपदत्वेन (as first member); ‘षष्ठे’ इत्यर्थे (sixth)

• अन्न: food
• अन्न: Samāsa-aṅga (Compound member)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अन्न (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समासपूर्वपदत्वेन; नपुंसकलिङ्ग (food)

• काल: time
• काल: Samāsa-aṅga (Compound member)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समासपूर्वपदत्वेन; पुंलिङ्ग (time)

• भोज्यस्य: of one whose meal is at the sixth-day time (i.e., eating every sixth day)
• भोज्यस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भोज्य (प्रातिपदिक; √भुज् से यत्)
• Form: समास: तत्पुरुष (षष्ठ-अन्न-काल-भोज्य); पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), एकवचन; सम्बन्ध (genitive)

• व्रतचर्यारतस्य: of one devoted to the observance of vows
• व्रतचर्यारतस्य: Sambandha (Genitive qualifier/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: व्रत (प्रातिपदिक) + चर्या (प्रातिपदिक) + रत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समास: तत्पुरुष (व्रत-चर्यायां रतः); पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifier of implied person)

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

• एवम्: thus
• एवम्: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial modifier/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एवम् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रकारवाचक (thus)

• तस्य: of him
• तस्य: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• अपि: also
• अपि: Sambandha/Emphasis (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अप्यर्थ (also/even)

• संस्थस्य: of (him) being engaged/steadfast
• संस्थस्य: Sambandha (Genitive qualifier/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सम् + स्था (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त भूतकृदन्त; पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), एकवचन; ‘स्थित/निविष्ट’ इत्यर्थे

• गतः: passed
• गतः: Kriyā (Predicative/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम् (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त भूतकृदन्त; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; ‘गतः’ = has passed

• कालः: time
• कालः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• महान्: great; long
• महान्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifier of कालः)

• मुने: O sage
• मुने: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मुनि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th), एकवचन

• न: not
• न: Pratiṣedha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निषेध (negation)

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Connector/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय/अन्वय (and)

• तुष्यति: is satisfied
• तुष्यति: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: तुष् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान/Present), परस्मैपद; प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• देवेशः: Lord of the gods
• देवेशः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक) + ईश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समास: तत्पुरुष (देवानाम् ईशः); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• ताभ्याम्: by those two
• ताभ्याम्: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसक/स्त्री/पुं-त्रिलिङ्गसर्वनाम; तृतीया (3rd), द्विवचन

• द्वाभ्याम्: two
• द्वाभ्याम्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: द्वि (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तृतीया (3rd), द्विवचन; संख्याविशेषण (qualifier of ताभ्याम्)

• कथञ्चन: in any way
• कथञ्चन: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Manner/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: कथञ्चन (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रकारवाचक (in any way/at all)

Speaker

Narrative voice addressing a sage-listener (“mune” indicates an interlocutor)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: mahāmuni (addressed as ‘O great sage’)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A long passage of time shown through changing seasons around an ashram shrine; the ascetic maintains strict meal restraint and vrata discipline, yet the deity remains unmanifest, creating a quiet tension.

Characters & Entities

• Deveśa (Śiva, implied)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Austerities and rules alone may not suffice; divine grace is won through fuller devotion and right inner disposition.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Hāṭakeśvara-related tīrtha context continues; the verse highlights the intensity of practice within that sacred geography.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Vrata-caryā (vowed discipline) and severe dietary restraint (infrequent eating) are described.