Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 28

Devanagari script

जलभक्षा शतं चाभूच्छतं वै वायुभोजना । ततो नियममादाय पादांगुष्ठस्थिताभवत्

Transliteration

jalabhakṣā śataṃ cābhūcchataṃ vai vāyubhojanā | tato niyamamādāya pādāṃguṣṭhasthitābhavat

Translation

سو برس تک وہ صرف پانی پر قائم رہی؛ اور مزید سو برس تک صرف ہوا پر۔ پھر اس نے اور بھی سخت نِیَم اختیار کیا اور پاؤں کے انگوٹھے کی نوک پر کھڑی رہی۔

Word by Word

• jala-bhakṣā: living on water
• jala-bhakṣā: Visheshana (of subject)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: jala (जल) + bhakṣā (भक्षा)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास; स्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा एकवचन; 'water-eating'

• śatam: a hundred
• śatam: Kala (duration)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śata (शत-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया/प्रथमा एकवचन; परिमाणवाचक (duration)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (coordination)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (च-अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयबोधक

• abhūt: was/became
• abhūt: Kriya (main verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: bhū (भू धातु)
• Form: लङ् (भूतकाल); परस्मैपद; प्रथमपुरुष; एकवचन

• śatam: a hundred
• śatam: Kala (duration)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śata (शत-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया/प्रथमा एकवचन; परिमाणवाचक (duration)

• vai: indeed
• vai: Sambandha (emphasis)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vai (वै-अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निश्चय/खलु-अर्थे (emphatic particle)

• vāyu-bhojanā: living on air
• vāyu-bhojanā: Visheshana (of subject)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vāyu (वायु) + bhojanā (भोजना)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास; स्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा एकवचन; 'air-eating'

• tataḥ: then
• tataḥ: Sambandha (sequence)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tataḥ (ततः-अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; ततो (thereupon/from that)

• niyamam: a vow/discipline
• niyamam: Karma (object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: niyama (नियम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया एकवचन; कर्म (object of ādāya)

• ādāya: having undertaken
• ādāya: Kriya (पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: dā (दा धातु) + ā- + lyap (ल्यप्)
• Form: ल्यबन्त अव्ययकृदन्त; 'having taken up'

• pāda-aṅguṣṭha-sthitā: standing on (one) big toe
• pāda-aṅguṣṭha-sthitā: Visheshana (of subject)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pāda (पाद) + aṅguṣṭha (अङ्गुष्ठ) + sthitā (स्थित)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास; स्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा एकवचन; 'standing on the big toe'

• abhavat: became
• abhavat: Kriya (main verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: bhū (भू धातु)
• Form: लङ् (भूतकाल); परस्मैपद; प्रथमपुरुष; एकवचन; 'became'

Speaker

Lomaharṣaṇa (Sūta) narrating (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Himavat-śṛṅga (tapas-sthāna of Devī)

Type: peak

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Pārvatī stands on the tip of one toe on a rocky ledge, hair matted, body radiant yet austere; subtle aura like heat-haze (tapas-tejas); winds swirl, clouds part, gods may be hinted watching from above.

Characters & Entities

• Pārvatī

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Unshakable determination in spiritual practice can reach extraordinary levels of self-mastery.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No distinct tīrtha is identified; the austerities occur in the sanctified Himalayan context.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Water-only and air-only fasting, followed by a strict niyama of standing on the big toe.