Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 94

Devanagari script

कष्टं तया मुदा तत्र प्रारब्धं दुश्चरं तपः । ततः संवत्सरे पूर्णे देवदेवो महेश्वरः

Transliteration

kaṣṭaṃ tayā mudā tatra prārabdhaṃ duścaraṃ tapaḥ | tataḥ saṃvatsare pūrṇe devadevo maheśvaraḥ

Translation

Dort begann sie voller Freude eine strenge und schwer zu vollziehende Askese. Als dann ein volles Jahr vollendet war, erschien Maheśvara, der Gott der Götter.

Word by Word

• कष्टम्: hard, arduous
• कष्टम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कष्ट (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (तपः)

• तया: by her
• तया: Karta (Agent in instrumental/कर्ता-करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• मुदा: with joy
• मुदा: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मुद्/मुदा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), एकवचन; भाववाचक

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Locative sense/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक (there)

• प्रारब्धम्: was begun
• प्रारब्धम्: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र + रभ् (धातु)
• Form: कर्मणि क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; धातुः—रभ् (आरम्भे), उपसर्गः—प्र

• दुश्चरम्: difficult to perform
• दुश्चरम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दुस् (उपसर्ग/अव्यय) + चर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; समासः—उपपद-तत्पुरुषः (दुष्करं चरितुम्) विशेषणम् (तपः)

• तपः: austerity
• तपः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तपस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन

• ततः: then
• ततः: Sambandha (Sequencing/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रमवाचक (then)

• संवत्सरे: when a year
• संवत्सरे: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: संवत्सर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन

• पूर्णे: was completed
• पूर्णे: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पूर्ण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (संवत्सरे)

• देव-देवः: the god of gods
• देव-देवः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक) + देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; समासः—षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (देवानां देवः)

• महेश्वरः: Maheshvara (Śiva)
• महेश्वरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महेश्वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) to the sages (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Saṅgama/kshetra (implied)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: She performs intense austerity at the sacred place for a full year; at completion, Maheśvara manifests—majestic, compassionate, and radiant.

Characters & Entities

• Kumārī
• Maheśvara (Śiva)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Austerity performed with sincerity and joy culminates in divine grace and direct vision (darśana) of Śiva.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The locality where Kumārī undertakes tapas becomes sanctified; its explicit Śiva-sthāna identity (Barkareśa) is named in later verses.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

The practice highlighted is duścara tapas sustained for a complete year—an archetypal purāṇic model of vrata-like perseverance.