Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 5

Devanagari script

सहस्रे द्वे ततो राजञ्छीर्णपर्णाशनोऽभवत् । सहस्रे द्वे ततो भूयो जलाहारो बभूव ह

Transliteration

sahasre dve tato rājañchīrṇaparṇāśano'bhavat | sahasre dve tato bhūyo jalāhāro babhūva ha

Translation

แล้วแต่บัดนั้น ข้าแต่พระราชา เขาดำรงชีพอยู่สองพันปีด้วยใบไม้แห้ง; และอีกสองพันปีถัดมา เขาดำรงอยู่ด้วยน้ำเพียงอย่างเดียวเป็นอาหาร

Word by Word

• सहस्रे: at (the completion of) a thousand
• सहस्रे: Adhikarana (Time/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सहस्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन; संख्यावाचक; (सप्तमी-कालाधिकरणे)

• द्वे: two
• द्वे: Adhikarana (Measure/परिमाण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: द्वि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, द्विवचन; संख्यावाचक; विशेषणम् सहस्रे इति (द्वे सहस्रे = two thousand)

• ततः: thereafter
• ततः: Adhikarana (Time/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: तसिल्-प्रत्ययान्त-अव्यय (thereafter)

• राजन्: O king
• राजन्: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: राजन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th case), एकवचन

• शीर्णपर्णाशनः: one who ate withered leaves
• शीर्णपर्णाशनः: Karta (Qualifier of subject/कर्तृविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शीर्ण (प्रातिपदिक) + पर्ण (प्रातिपदिक) + आशन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (सः) इति; बहुपद-तत्पुरुषः (शीर्णानि पर्णानि येषां तेषाम् आशनः / शीर्णपर्णानाम् आशनः)

• अभवत्: became
• अभवत्: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: लङ् (Imperfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• सहस्रे: at (the completion of) a thousand
• सहस्रे: Adhikarana (Time/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सहस्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन; कालाधिकरणे

• द्वे: two
• द्वे: Adhikarana (Measure/परिमाण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: द्वि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, द्विवचन; विशेषणम् सहस्रे इति

• ततः: thereafter
• ततः: Adhikarana (Time/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: तसिल्-प्रत्ययान्त-अव्यय (thereafter)

• भूयः: further, again
• भूयः: Sambandha (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: भूयस् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb: again/further/more)

• जलाहारः: one whose intake was water
• जलाहारः: Karta (Qualifier of subject/कर्तृविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: जल (प्रातिपदिक) + आहार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (सः) इति; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (जलस्य आहारः)

• बभूव: became
• बभूव: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• ह: indeed
• ह: Sambandha (Discourse particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ह (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle; emphasis/indeed)

Speaker

Pulastya (to a king, addressed as rājan)

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: राजन् / nṛpa (King)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: An ascetic-king in a forest hermitage, seated on kuśa grass, surviving first on dry fallen leaves and later only on water; seasons pass in the background to show long duration.

Characters & Entities

• Ambārīṣa
• Tīrtha

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Progressive renunciation and endurance in spiritual discipline are portrayed as powerful means for purification and divine favor.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Ambārīṣa’s tīrtha, whose fame is reinforced by the rājaṛṣi’s extraordinary austerities performed there.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Ascetic dietary vows: living on withered leaves (chīrṇa-parṇāśana) and later on water alone (jalāhāra).