Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 14

Devanagari script

जगाम सुमहानादस्तपश्चक्रे सुदुष्करम् । तस्य वै तप्यमानस्य रक्षोवधकृतं तमः

Transliteration

jagāma sumahānādastapaścakre suduṣkaram | tasya vai tapyamānasya rakṣovadhakṛtaṃ tamaḥ

Translation

Mit gewaltigem Ruf zog er dahin und vollbrachte äußerst schweres Tapas. Während er in der Askese brannte, begann die Finsternis, die durch das Töten der Rākṣasas entstanden war, zu weichen.

Word by Word

• jagāma: went
• jagāma: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: gam (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (परोक्षभूत/Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• su-mahā-nādaḥ: a very great roar/sound
• su-mahā-nādaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: su (अव्यय) + mahā (प्रातिपदिक) + nāda (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; समासः = कर्मधारय (सु-महान् नादः)

• tapaḥ: austerity/penance
• tapaḥ: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tapas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• cakre: did/performed
• cakre: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kṛ (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (परोक्षभूत/Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपदम्

• su-duṣkaram: very difficult
• su-duṣkaram: Karma (Object qualifier/कर्म-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: su (अव्यय) + duṣkara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (तपः); समासः = कर्मधारय (सु-दुष्करम्)

• tasya: of him
• tasya: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• vai: indeed
• vai: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vai (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (निपात; अवधान/निश्चयार्थ) = indeed/for sure

• tapyamānasya: of (him) who was performing austerity / being engaged in penance
• tapyamānasya: Sambandha (Genitive qualifier/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tap (धातु)
• Form: वर्तमानकाले शानच्-प्रत्ययान्त (present passive participle) 'तप्यमान'; पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (तस्य)

• rakṣaḥ-vadha-kṛtam: caused by the slaying of a demon
• rakṣaḥ-vadha-kṛtam: Karta (Predicate adjective/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: rakṣas (प्रातिपदिक) + vadha (प्रातिपदिक) + kṛta (कृदन्त; कृ-धातु)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (तमः); क्त-प्रत्ययान्त 'कृत'; समासः = तत्पुरुष (रक्षोवधेन कृतम्)

• tamaḥ: darkness/gloom
• tamaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tamas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

Speaker

Narrator

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā (Narmadā) south-bank tīrtha

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: On the riverbank, Hanumān sits in fierce austerity—still as a mountain—while a shadowy ‘tamas’ cloud behind him thins and dissolves into light; the river flows steadily beside.

Characters & Entities

• Hanumān
• Rākṣasas

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Even when actions are dharmic, purification may be completed through tapas, presented as a means to dissolve lingering ‘tamas’ (taint).

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The setting continues at the Revā/Narmadā bank tīrtha where Hanumān undertakes austerity.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Tapas (austerity) as a purificatory practice, complementing tīrtha-snāna.