Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 19

Devanagari script

तप्यमानोपि हि तपः सुचिरं स महातपाः । यदा नाप फलं किंचिच्चुकोप च तदा भृशम्

Transliteration

tapyamānopi hi tapaḥ suciraṃ sa mahātapāḥ | yadā nāpa phalaṃ kiṃciccukopa ca tadā bhṛśam

Translation

Obwohl jener große Asket lange Zeit strenge Buße übte, geriet er, als er keinerlei Frucht erlangte, in heftigen Zorn.

Word by Word

• तप्यमानः: being tormented / undergoing austerity
• तप्यमानः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: तप् (धातु) + शानच् (कृदन्त)
• Form: वर्तमानकाले शानच्-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (present passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (masc. nom. sg.)

• अपि: even, although
• अपि: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle), ‘even/although’

• हि: indeed, for
• हि: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle), हेत्वर्थ/निश्चयार्थ (indeed/for)

• तपः: austerity, penance
• तपः: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तपस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म) एकवचन (neut. acc. sg.)

• सुचिरम्: for a very long time
• सुचिरम्: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सुचिर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म) एकवचन; क्रियाविशेषणवत् (neut. acc. sg. used adverbially)

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; सर्वनाम (masc. nom. sg.)

• महातपाः: great ascetic
• महातपाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महा (प्रातिपदिक) + तपस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; कर्मधारयः (महान् तपाः) (masc. nom. sg.)

• यदा: when
• यदा: Sambandha (Temporal/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यदा (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक अव्यय (temporal adverb)

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Negation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध (negation particle)

• आप: obtained
• आप: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आप् (धातु)
• Form: लुङ् (Aorist), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपदम् (3rd sg. aor.)

• फलम्: fruit, result
• फलम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: फल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन (neut. acc. sg.)

• किञ्चित्: any, something
• किञ्चित्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन; अनिश्चितवाचक सर्वनाम (neut. acc. sg.)

• चुकोप: became angry
• चुकोप: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कुप् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपदम् (3rd sg. perf.)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Conjunction/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक अव्यय (conjunction)

• तदा: then
• तदा: Sambandha (Temporal/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तदा (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक अव्यय (then)

• भृशम्: exceedingly, greatly
• भृशम्: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: भृशम् (अव्यय)
• Form: क्रियाविशेषण अव्यय (adverb)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced Kāśīkhaṇḍa narration, typically to Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī (Avimukta)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Śaunaka and sages

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Durvāsā, gaunt from long austerities, sits amid sacred surroundings; his brows knit, aura heated, indicating anger after perceived fruitlessness.

Characters & Entities

• Durvāsā

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Austerity without inner steadiness can give rise to anger; spiritual practice must be joined with patience and purity.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The episode unfolds in the Kāśī context (Kāśīkhaṇḍa), setting the stage for Kāśī’s unique grace.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it describes the psychological risk (krodha) that can arise even in long tapas.