Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 17

Devanagari script

पुरा विवस्वतः पुत्रो यमः परमसंयमी । तपस्तताप विपुलं विशालाक्षि तवाग्रतः

Transliteration

purā vivasvataḥ putro yamaḥ paramasaṃyamī | tapastatāpa vipulaṃ viśālākṣi tavāgrataḥ

Translation

Einst vollzog Yama — der Sohn Vivasvāns, höchst selbstbeherrscht — gewaltige Askesen, o Weitblickende, in deiner unmittelbaren Gegenwart.

Word by Word

• पुरा: formerly
• पुरा: Kala (Time/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुरा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक-अव्यय (temporal adverb)

• विवस्वतः: of Vivasvat (the Sun)
• विवस्वतः: Shashthi-sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठीसम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विवस्वत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6), एकवचन

• पुत्रः: son
• पुत्रः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुत्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन

• यमः: Yama
• यमः: Apposition (Samānādhikaraṇa/समानाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन

• परमसंयमी: most self-controlled
• परमसंयमी: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: परम (प्रातिपदिक) + संयमिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; कर्मधारय-समास (परमः संयमी)

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

• तताप: performed (did penance)
• तताप: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √तप् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (परस्मैपद), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• विपुलम्: abundant/great
• विपुलम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: विपुल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन; विशेषण (तपः)

• विशालाक्षि: O wide-eyed one
• विशालाक्षि: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विशाल (प्रातिपदिक) + अक्षि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8), एकवचन; बहुव्रीहि-समास (विशालानि अक्षी यस्याः सा)

• तव: your
• तव: Shashthi-sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठीसम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (6), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• अग्रतः: in front (of)
• अग्रतः: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अग्रतः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; स्थानवाचक-अव्यय (in front of)

Speaker

Skanda

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī (Ānandavana) in Viśālākṣī’s presence

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Viśālākṣī (addressed as ‘Viśālākṣi’)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Yama, austere and composed, stands before the radiant goddess Viśālākṣī in Kāśī; the city’s sacred atmosphere surrounds them—temple spires, incense haze, and the unseen Gaṅgā nearby.

Characters & Entities

• Yama
• Vivasvān (Sūrya)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Even the cosmic judge Yama attains spiritual fruition through intense self-restraint and tapas.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The broader setting is Kāśī/Ānandavana in this Adhyāya, where the Dharmapīṭha is being described.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Tapas (austerity) and saṃyama (discipline) are praised, though no specific vow is detailed in this verse.