Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 3

Devanagari script

एके विप्राः स्थितास्तेषामेकांतरितभोजनाः । षष्ठकालाशिनश्चान्ये चांद्रायणपरायणाः

Transliteration

eke viprāḥ sthitāsteṣāmekāṃtaritabhojanāḥ | ṣaṣṭhakālāśinaścānye cāṃdrāyaṇaparāyaṇāḥ

Translation

ان میں سے کچھ برہمن ایک دن چھوڑ کر ایک دن کھاتے تھے؛ کچھ صرف چھٹے وقت میں غذا لیتے تھے؛ اور کچھ چاندْرایَن ورت کے سراپا پابند تھے۔

Word by Word

• eke: some
• eke: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: eka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा विभक्ति, बहुवचन; ‘some’ (indefinite plural)

• viprāḥ: brāhmaṇas
• viprāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vipra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• sthitāḥ: remained/stood
• sthitāḥ: Kriya (Predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sthā (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; ‘standing/remaining’

• teṣām: of them
• teṣām: Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; षष्ठी विभक्ति (Genitive/6th), बहुवचन

• ekaantaritabhojanāḥ: eating every other day
• ekaantaritabhojanāḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: eka-antarita-bhojana (प्रातिपदिक; एक + अन्तरित + भोजन)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा विभक्ति, बहुवचन; ‘eating at intervals of one (day)’

• ṣaṣṭhakālāśinaḥ: eating at the sixth period
• ṣaṣṭhakālāśinaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ṣaṣṭha-kāla-āśin (प्रातिपदिक; षष्ठ + काल + आशिन्)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा विभक्ति, बहुवचन; ‘eating at the sixth time/period’

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Conjunction)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय (and)

• anye: others
• anye: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: anya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• cāndrāyaṇaparāyaṇāḥ: devoted to the Cāndrāyaṇa observance
• cāndrāyaṇaparāyaṇāḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: cāndrāyaṇa-parāyaṇa (प्रातिपदिक; चान्द्रायण + परायण)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा विभक्ति, बहुवचन; ‘devoted to the Cāndrāyaṇa vow’

Speaker

Viśvāmitra

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Himavān-āśrama context (vrata-bhūmi)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Implied internal audience

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A sequence-like depiction of different ascetics: one group eating on alternate days, another taking sparse meals at a fixed time, another performing cāndrāyaṇa with lunar symbols overhead; all within a calm hermitage.

Characters & Entities

• Brāhmaṇas
• Cāndrāyaṇa (vrata)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Austerity is refined through restraint in food; measured living supports inner clarity and dharmic strength.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The tīrtha-āśrama setting in the Himālaya region, where vows like Cāndrāyaṇa are practiced to intensify sanctity.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Cāndrāyaṇa vrata and strict dietary regimens (alternate-day eating, time-bound eating) are referenced as forms of tapas.