Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 11

Devanagari script

ईश्वर उवाच । किमर्थं पिबसे धूमं किमर्थं तप्यसे तपः । किं दुःखं किं नु सन्तापो वद कार्यमभीप्सितम्

Transliteration

īśvara uvāca | kimarthaṃ pibase dhūmaṃ kimarthaṃ tapyase tapaḥ | kiṃ duḥkhaṃ kiṃ nu santāpo vada kāryamabhīpsitam

Translation

Īśvara sprach: „Zu welchem Zweck trinkst du Rauch? Zu welchem Zweck übst du Tapas, strenge Askese? Welcher Kummer ist dies, welche brennende Not? Sprich — welches Ziel begehrst du?“

Word by Word

• ईश्वरः: Īśvara (Lord)
• ईश्वरः: Karta (Speaker/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ईश्वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

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

• किमर्थम्: for what reason?
• किमर्थम्: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: किम् + अर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रश्नवाचक (interrogative adverb)

• पिबसे: you drink
• पिबसे: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √पा (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd person), एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

• धूमम्: smoke
• धूमम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धूम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• किमर्थम्: for what reason?
• किमर्थम्: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: किम् + अर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रश्नवाचक (interrogative adverb)

• तप्यसे: you perform austerity/are heated
• तप्यसे: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √तप् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd person), एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

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

• किम्: what?
• किम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; प्रश्नवाचक

• दुःखम्: sorrow
• दुःखम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दुःख (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; किम् इत्यस्य विशेष्य/विशेषणभाव

• किम्: what?
• किम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; प्रश्नवाचक

• नु: indeed/then
• नु: Nipata (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रश्न/अनुनयार्थक निपात (interrogative/emphatic particle)

• सन्तापः: distress/affliction
• सन्तापः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सन्ताप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• वद: tell
• वद: Kriya (Command/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √वद् (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (Imperative), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• कार्यम्: the matter/task
• कार्यम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कार्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• अभीप्सितम्: desired
• अभीप्सितम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अभि√आप्/√ईप्स् (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle/क्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; विशेषण (कार्यम्)

Speaker

Śiva (Īśvara)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā-khaṇḍa tapas-sthala (unnamed)

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Tapas-performing figure (Dānava or ascetic)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A gaunt ascetic (or Dānava in tapas guise) sits amid a ring of smoldering embers, inhaling smoke; Śiva stands nearby, compassionate yet probing, palm extended in inquiry; ash, matted hair, and heat-haze fill the scene.

Characters & Entities

• Śiva (Īśvara)
• Dānava (implied addressee)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Austerity should be purposeful and examined; the Divine asks for clarity of intention before granting outcomes.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No named tīrtha appears; the scene remains within the Revā Khaṇḍa’s sacred-geography setting.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

An austerity is referenced (dhūma-drinking and tapas), but no formal vow procedure is specified.