Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 40

Devanagari script

विश्वामित्रं तपस्यंतं विलोभय विचेष्टितैः । यथा तत्तपसो विघ्नो भविष्यति तथा कुरु

Transliteration

viśvāmitraṃ tapasyaṃtaṃ vilobhaya viceṣṭitaiḥ | yathā tattapaso vighno bhaviṣyati tathā kuru

Translation

„Verlocke Viśvāmitra, während er Tapas übt, durch deine Gebärden und Künste; handle so, dass seine Askese behindert werde.“

Word by Word

• विश्वामित्रम्: Viśvāmitra
• विश्वामित्रम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विश्वामित्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• तपस्यम्: doing austerity
• तपस्यम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √तप् (धातु)
• Form: शतृ-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (present active participle), पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; (तपस्यन्तम्)

• विलोभय: tempt, entice
• विलोभय: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वि√लुभ् (धातु)
• Form: लोट्-लकार (आज्ञार्थ/Imperative), मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपदम्

• विचेष्टितैः: by (various) actions/gestures
• विचेष्टितैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वि (उपसर्ग) + चेष्टित (√चेष्ट् धातु, क्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (करण), बहुवचन; (by actions/gestures)

• यथा: so that, as
• यथा: Sambandha (Clause linker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (conjunction/adverb), प्रकार/उपमानार्थे (as/so that)

• तत्: his/that
• तत्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सर्वनाम; विशेषणम् (तपसः)

• तपसः: of the austerity
• तपसः: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तपस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• विघ्नः: obstacle
• विघ्नः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विघ्न (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• भविष्यति: will be
• भविष्यति: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √भू (धातु)
• Form: लृट्-लकार (भविष्यत्काल/Future), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपदम्

• तथा: thus
• तथा: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb), तदनुरूपार्थे (thus/in that way)

• कुरु: do
• कुरु: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √कृ (धातु)
• Form: लोट्-लकार (आज्ञार्थ/Imperative), मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपदम्

Speaker

Tridaśas (the gods) with Indra (Jambhāri), speaking to Rambhā

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Rambhā receives Indra’s command: she prepares to use dance, glances, and charm to break the sage’s concentration; the scene foreshadows a confrontation between tapas and kāma.

Characters & Entities

• Viśvāmitra
• Rambhā
• Jambhāri (Indra)
• Tridaśa (gods)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Temptation is portrayed as a deliberate test of spiritual resolve; guarding the mind protects the fruit of tapas.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No; this is a narrative instruction about obstructing tapas rather than a tīrtha-mahātmya passage.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it describes an attempted disruption of austerity rather than a prescribed ritual.