Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 12

Devanagari script

मूलशाकफलैश्चान्यं कालं नयति बुद्धिमान् । किंचित्कालं वसंस्तत्र तीर्थे शैवालभोजनः

Transliteration

mūlaśākaphalaiścānyaṃ kālaṃ nayati buddhimān | kiṃcitkālaṃ vasaṃstatra tīrthe śaivālabhojanaḥ

Translation

دانشمند نے مزید وقت جڑوں، ساگ اور پھلوں پر گزارا۔ کچھ عرصہ وہ اس تیرتھ میں مقیم رہا اور آبی کائی کو بھی غذا بنا کر بسر کرتا رہا۔

Word by Word

• मूल: with roots
• मूल: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मूल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/करण), बहुवचन; ‘मूलशाकफलैः’ इत्यत्र समाहार-समुच्चयार्थे

• शाक: with vegetables/greens
• शाक: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शाक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/करण), बहुवचन; ‘मूलशाकफलैः’ इत्यत्र

• फलैः: with fruits
• फलैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: फल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/करण), बहुवचन

• च: and
• च: Sambandha/Connector
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-निपात (conjunction)

• अन्यम्: another (portion of)
• अन्यम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अन्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन; ‘कालम्’ इति विशेष्यस्य विशेषणम्

• कालम्: time
• कालम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन

• नयति: spends/leads (time)
• नयति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: नी (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• बुद्धिमान्: the wise man
• बुद्धिमान्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: बुद्धिमत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/कर्ता), एकवचन; कर्तृपद

• किंचित्: some/a little
• किंचित्: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: किंचित् (अव्यय/सर्वनाम-निपात)
• Form: परिमाणवाचक-अव्यय (adverbial quantifier)

• कालम्: time
• कालम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन; ‘वसन्’ क्रियायाः कालावधि

• वसन्: dwelling/staying
• वसन्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वस् (धातु) + शतृ (कृदन्त)
• Form: वर्तमानकाले शतृ-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्तरि प्रयोगः

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (locative adverb)

• तीर्थे: at the sacred ford/place of pilgrimage
• तीर्थे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/अधिकरण), एकवचन

• शैवालभोजनः: one whose food is algae (algae-eater)
• शैवालभोजनः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शैवाल (प्रातिपदिक) + भोजन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुषसमास (षष्ठी/कर्मधारय-सम्भवः): शैवालं भोजनं यस्य/शैवालं भुङ्क्ते इति; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

Speaker

Narrator (contextual Purāṇic narration; likely Sūta)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā (Narmadā) tīrtha

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: A respectful inquirer addressed as ‘mānada’ in the surrounding context

Visual Art Cues

Scene: An ascetic at the Revā riverbank lives on roots, greens, and fruits; later he gathers aquatic moss near the water’s edge, dwelling in a humble riverside hermitage amid reeds and stones.

Characters & Entities

• Tīrtha (the saṅgama)
• Kubera (implied)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Renunciation of comfort through restrained diet and tīrtha-residence is portrayed as a powerful support for spiritual attainment.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The same tīrtha at the confluence is emphasized as a place fit for sustained austerity.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Ahāra-niyama (regulated diet): living on roots/greens/fruits, and even śaivāla (aquatic moss) while staying at the tīrtha.