Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 4

Devanagari script

पञ्चाग्निसाधको ग्रीष्मे हेमन्ते सलिलाशयः । वर्षास्वाकाशवासी च सहस्रं च ततोऽभवत्

Transliteration

pañcāgnisādhako grīṣme hemante salilāśayaḥ | varṣāsvākāśavāsī ca sahasraṃ ca tato'bhavat

Translation

Sa tag-init, isinagawa niya ang disiplina ng pañcāgni; sa taglamig, nanatili siya sa tubig; sa panahon ng tag-ulan, namuhay siyang lantad sa ilalim ng bukás na langit—at nagpatuloy ito sa isa pang libong taon.

Word by Word

• पञ्चाग्निसाधकः: one who practices the five-fire austerity
• पञ्चाग्निसाधकः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पञ्च + अग्नि + साधक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समासः (पञ्चाग्नीन् साधयति इति)

• ग्रीष्मे: in summer
• ग्रीष्मे: Adhikarana (Location/Time अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ग्रीष्म (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन; अधिकरण (locative of time)

• हेमन्ते: in winter
• हेमन्ते: Adhikarana (Location/Time अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हेमन्त (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन; अधिकरण (locative of time)

• सलिलाशयः: one who stays in water (water-dweller)
• सलिलाशयः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सलिल + आशय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समासः (सलिले आशयः/शय्यते इति)

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

• आकाशवासी: one who lives in the open sky
• आकाशवासी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आकाश + वासिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समासः (आकाशे वासी)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-बोधक अव्यय (conjunction)

• सहस्रम्: a thousand (years)
• सहस्रम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सहस्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; काल-परिमाण (measure of time)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-बोधक अव्यय (conjunction)

• ततः: thereafter
• ततः: Hetu/Apadana (Source/Sequence)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; तदर्थे अव्यय (ablatival adverb: 'thereafter/from that')

• अभवत्: became / occurred
• अभवत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: लङ्-लकार (Imperfect/Past), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Arbuda-parvata (tapas-sthāna of seasonal austerities)

Type: peak

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Ṛṣis (Naimiṣāraṇya assembly implied)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Three seasonal vignettes around the same meditating sage: summer—four fires around him with the sun overhead (pañcāgni); winter—sage immersed in a cold pool; monsoon—sage seated on bare rock under storm clouds, exposed to rain and wind, unwavering.

Characters & Entities

• Vasiṣṭha

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

True tapas is constancy across conditions—heat, cold, and rain—showing single-minded devotion and endurance.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Arbuda āśrama landscape is implied as the stage of these austerities, enhancing its tīrtha-māhātmya.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Seasonal austerities: pañcāgni in summer, water-abiding in winter, and unsheltered sky-dwelling in the rains.