Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 65

Devanagari script

तपस्यति मुनिस्तत्र गालवो भार्यया सह । सदैव तीव्रतपसा कृशो धमनिसंततः

Transliteration

tapasyati munistatra gālavo bhāryayā saha | sadaiva tīvratapasā kṛśo dhamanisaṃtataḥ

Translation

Dort übte der Weise Gālava zusammen mit seiner Gattin strenge Askese—stets ausgezehrt von heftiger Buße, die Adern deutlich hervortretend.

Word by Word

• तपस्यति: practises austerity
• तपस्यति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: तपस्-य (धातु/नामधातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), परस्मैपदम्, प्रथमपुरुषः (3rd person), एकवचनम्

• मुनिः: sage
• मुनिः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मुनि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा (1st case), एकवचनम्

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Place/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्ययम् (locative adverb)

• गालवः: Gālava
• गालवः: Karta (Apposition/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गालव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा (1st case), एकवचनम्; विशेषनाम

• भार्यया: with (his) wife
• भार्यया: Sahakaraka (Accompaniment/सह)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भार्या (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे, तृतीया (3rd case), एकवचनम्

• सह: together with
• सह: Sahakaraka (Accompaniment marker/सह)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सह (अव्यय)
• Form: सहार्थक-अव्ययम्/उपसर्गसदृशम् (postposition meaning 'with')

• सदा: always
• सदा: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण-काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सदा (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्ययम् (adverb of time)

• एव: indeed/only
• एव: Sambandha (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारण-निपातः (emphatic particle)

• तीव्र-तपसा: by severe austerity
• तीव्र-तपसा: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीव्र (प्रातिपदिक) + तपस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, तृतीया (3rd case), एकवचनम्; कर्मधारयः (तीव्रं तपः)

• कृशः: emaciated/thin
• कृशः: Karta (Subject complement/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कृश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा (1st case), एकवचनम्; विशेषणम्

• धमनि-संततः: with veins standing out/spread with veins
• धमनि-संततः: Karta (Subject complement/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: धमनि (प्रातिपदिक) + संतत (प्रातिपदिक/कृदन्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा (1st case), एकवचनम्; तत्पुरुषः (धमनिभिः संततः/व्याप्तः)

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) to the sages (deduced from Māheśvarakhaṇḍa context)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Gālavāśrama (implied)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: In a snowy mountain clearing, Gālava sits in meditation, body lean, veins visible; beside him his wife mirrors the posture, both wrapped in simple bark-cloth; a small sacred fire burns low, smoke rising straight in still air.

Characters & Entities

• Gālava

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

True spiritual power is cultivated through disciplined tapas and steadfastness, not through pride or wandering desire.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

A mountain āśrama setting is implied, but no named tīrtha is specified in this verse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Tapas (austerity) is described as a practice, though no specific vrata-procedure is detailed.