Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 3

Devanagari script

युधिष्ठिर उवाच । कस्मिन्युगे समुत्पन्नः कस्य पुत्रो महामतिः । तपस्तप्त्वा सुविपुलं तोषितो येन शङ्करः

Transliteration

yudhiṣṭhira uvāca | kasminyuge samutpannaḥ kasya putro mahāmatiḥ | tapastaptvā suvipulaṃ toṣito yena śaṅkaraḥ

Translation

Yudhiṣṭhira sprach: In welchem Yuga wurde jener Großgesinnte geboren, und wessen Sohn war er—durch dessen überaus gewaltige Askese Śaṅkara erfreut wurde?

Word by Word

• युधिष्ठिरः: Yudhiṣṭhira
• युधिष्ठिरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युधिष्ठिर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• कस्मिन्: in which
• कस्मिन्: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative), एकवचन

• युगे: age (yuga)
• युगे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative), एकवचन

• समुत्पन्नः: born/arisen
• समुत्पन्नः: Karta-samānādhikaraṇa (Predicate adjective)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सम्+उत्+पद् (धातु) → समुत्पन्न (कृदन्त, क्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• कस्य: of whom/whose
• कस्य: Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive), एकवचन

• पुत्रः: son
• पुत्रः: Karta-samānādhikaraṇa (Predicate noun)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुत्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• महामतिः: the great-minded one
• महामतिः: Karta-samānādhikaraṇa (Apposition)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महामति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय-समास (महा+मति); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

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

• तप्त्वा: having performed (austerity)
• तप्त्वा: Purvakāla-kriyā (Prior action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: तप् (धातु) → तप्त्वा (क्त्वान्त)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (Gerund/Absolutive)

• सुविपुलम्: very great/abundant
• सुविपुलम्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सु+विपुल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (तपः)

• तोषितः: having pleased
• तोषितः: Karta-samānādhikaraṇa (Predicate adjective)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तुष् (धातु) → तोषित (कृदन्त, क्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• येन: by whom/whereby
• येन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental), एकवचन

• शङ्करः: Śaṅkara (Śiva)
• शङ्करः: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शङ्कर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

Speaker

Yudhiṣṭhira (to Mārkaṇḍeya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā (Narmadā)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Yudhiṣṭhira

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Yudhiṣṭhira, seated respectfully, asks a sage about the yuga and parentage of a great ascetic whose tapas pleased Śaṅkara; the setting evokes a riverbank hermitage atmosphere.

Characters & Entities

• Yudhiṣṭhira
• Śaṅkara (Śiva)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

True tīrtha-māhātmya is rooted in exemplary lives; asking about lineage and yuga frames the site’s sanctity in sacred history.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kuṇḍaleśvara, whose greatness is being introduced through the backstory of a devotee who pleased Śiva.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Tapas is referenced as the practice that pleased Śiva, though details are requested rather than given.