Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 21

Devanagari script

इत्यादि सुतपः क्लिष्टवर्ष्माणो ये तपोधनाः । ब्रह्मायुषस्तपोलोके ते वसंत्यकुतोभयाः

Transliteration

ityādi sutapaḥ kliṣṭavarṣmāṇo ye tapodhanāḥ | brahmāyuṣastapoloke te vasaṃtyakutobhayāḥ

Translation

So und auf vielerlei Weise wohnen jene Asketen—deren Leiber durch edle Askese erschöpft sind und die reich an Tapas sind—in Tapoloka, langlebig wie Brahmā und ohne Furcht aus irgendeiner Richtung.

Word by Word

• iti-ādi: thus and so forth
• iti-ādi: Sambandha (Discourse/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iti (अव्यय) + ādi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभावसमास; अव्यय (discourse marker) = ‘इति’ इत्यादि (and so on)

• su-tapaḥ: excellent austerity
• su-tapaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: su (उपसर्ग/अव्यय) + tapas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; समासः—सुतपः = सु (श्रेष्ठं) तपः

• kliṣṭa-varṣmāṇaḥ: whose bodies are worn out
• kliṣṭa-varṣmāṇaḥ: Visheshya-Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kliṣṭa (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक) + varṣman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; समासः—क्लिष्टवर्ष्माणः = क्लिष्टं वर्ष्म (शरीरम्) येषां ते

• ye: who
• ye: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक सर्वनाम

• tapo-dhanāḥ: those whose wealth is austerity (ascetics)
• tapo-dhanāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tapas (प्रातिपदिक) + dhana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; बहुव्रीहिः—तपो धनं येषां ते (those whose wealth is austerity)

• brahma-āyuṣaḥ: having the lifespan of Brahmā (very long-lived)
• brahma-āyuṣaḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: brahma (प्रातिपदिक) + āyuṣ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; समासः—ब्रह्मायुषः = ब्रह्मणः आयुः (दीर्घायुः) येषां ते

• tapaḥ-loke: in the world of austerity
• tapaḥ-loke: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tapas (प्रातिपदिक) + loka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th case), एकवचन; समासः—तपोलोके = तपसां लोके (world of austerity)

• te: they
• te: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; निर्देशसूचक सर्वनाम (demonstrative pronoun)

• vasanti: dwell/live
• vasanti: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √vas (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• akutobhayāḥ: fearless
• akutobhayāḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: a (निषेध) + kutaḥ (अव्यय-प्रातिपदिकवत्) + bhaya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; बहुव्रीहिः—कुतोऽपि भयं न येषां ते (fearless from any quarter)

Speaker

Skanda

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Tapoloka

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A luminous realm above earth: serene ascetics with radiant bodies dwell in a tranquil, golden-white landscape; no fear, no weapons, no conflict—only meditation seats, sacred fires, and subtle cosmic light. Brahmā-like longevity is suggested by timeless faces.

Characters & Entities

• Tapoloka
• Brahmā
• Tapodhana

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Tapas becomes true ‘wealth’: it grants fearlessness, spiritual eminence, and exalted longevity in higher realms.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The passage is situated in Kāśīkhaṇḍa’s mahātmya, yet the verse directly glorifies Tapoloka (the realm of austerity) as the fruit of such disciplines.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Sustained tapas in varied forms; the result is described as dwelling in Tapoloka with fearlessness and vast lifespan.