Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 3

Devanagari script

विमुच्य सशरं चापं प्रारेभे तप उत्तमम् । दिव्यं वर्षसहस्रं तु व्याधेनाचरितं तपः

Transliteration

vimucya saśaraṃ cāpaṃ prārebhe tapa uttamam | divyaṃ varṣasahasraṃ tu vyādhenācaritaṃ tapaḥ

Translation

Nachdem er Bogen und Pfeile abgelegt hatte, begann er die erhabenste Askese. Tausend göttliche Jahre lang übte der Jäger diese Buße.

Word by Word

• विमुच्य: having released
• विमुच्य: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial modifier of main action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वि+मुच् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (Absolutive/Gerund), अव्ययभाव (indeclinable verbal), धातु: मुच्, उपसर्ग: वि

• सशरम्: with arrows
• सशरम्: Karma (Object)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स-शर (प्रातिपदिक; सह/युक्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (qualifier)

• चापम्: bow
• चापम्: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चाप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन

• प्रारेभे: began
• प्रारेभे: Kriyā (Main verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र+रभ् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• तपः: austerity
• तपः: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तपस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन

• उत्तमम्: supreme
• उत्तमम्: Karma (Object qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: उत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन; विशेषणम्

• दिव्यम्: divine
• दिव्यम्: Karma (Object qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दिव्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन; विशेषणम्

• वर्षसहस्रम्: a thousand years
• वर्षसहस्रम्: Kāla-adhikaraṇa (Temporal extent)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वर्ष + सहस्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन; समासः (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः: वर्षाणां सहस्रम्)

• तु: indeed/but
• तु: Sambandha (Discourse particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle), विरोध/अनुवादार्थक

• व्याधेन: by the hunter
• व्याधेन: Kartṛ (Agent)
• Type: Noun
• Root: व्याध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (Instrumental/3rd), एकवचन

• आचरितम्: practised/performed
• आचरितम्: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Predicate participle)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ+चर् (धातु)
• Form: क्त (Past Passive Participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया एकवचन; कर्मणि प्रयोगे (passive sense)

• तपः: austerity
• तपः: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तपस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (Nominative/1st), एकवचन

Speaker

Mārkaṇḍeya (continuing narration)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Unnamed Revā-tīrtha arising from the vyādha’s tapas (as implied by later prasiddhi)

Type: ghat

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A hunter sets down his bow and quiver at the edge of a sacred riverbank/forest hermitage and begins severe penance, body emaciated yet radiant, with Śiva’s unseen presence implied.

Characters & Entities

• Vyādha (hunter)
• Tāpeśvara (contextual)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Renouncing harmful pursuits and embracing tapas can radically transform one’s destiny.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The narrative belongs to the Tāpeśvara māhātmya within Reva Khaṇḍa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Tapas (austerity) is presented as the hunter’s chosen discipline after abandoning weapons.