Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 2

Devanagari script

तपस्तस्य हतं कृत्स्नं यत्कृच्छ्रेण समाचितम् । तथा निस्तेजसत्वं च नीतस्त्वं सुखभाग्भव

Transliteration

tapastasya hataṃ kṛtsnaṃ yatkṛcchreṇa samācitam | tathā nistejasatvaṃ ca nītastvaṃ sukhabhāgbhava

Translation

Seine ganze Askese—unter großer Mühsal und Entbehrung angesammelt—ist vernichtet; und du bist in einen Zustand ohne Glanz herabgesunken. Nun sei einer, der an Ruhe und Leichtigkeit teilhat.

Word by Word

• tapaḥ: austerity
• tapaḥ: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tapas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; here as object with implied ‘(is) destroyed’

• tasya: of him
• tasya: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; genitive ‘of him’

• hatam: destroyed
• hatam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: √han (धातु) + क्त-प्रत्यय (हत)
• Form: कृदन्त (क्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; tapaḥ इति विशेषण/विधेय

• kṛtsnam: entire
• kṛtsnam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kṛtsna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; tapaḥ इति विशेषण

• yat: which
• yat: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; relative pronoun referring to tapaḥ

• kṛcchreṇa: with great difficulty
• kṛcchreṇa: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kṛcchra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; instrumental = with hardship

• samācitam: accumulated/performed
• samācitam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sam-ā-√ci (धातु) + क्त-प्रत्यय (समाचित)
• Form: कृदन्त (क्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; yat (tapaḥ) इति विशेषण = accumulated/performed

• tathā: likewise
• tathā: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tathā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (समुच्चय/तद्वत्) = and so/likewise

• nistejasatvam: loss of radiance
• nistejasatvam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nis (उपसर्ग) + tejas (प्रातिपदिक) + tva (प्रत्यय)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; abstract noun = state of being without splendor

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (समुच्चयबोधक) = and

• nītaḥ: (you are) led/brought
• nītaḥ: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √nī (धातु) + क्त-प्रत्यय (नीत)
• Form: कृदन्त (क्त), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; predicative participle = led/brought

• tvam: you
• tvam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yusmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तम-पुरुष-सर्वनाम, प्रथमा, एकवचन; pronoun ‘you’

• sukha-bhāk: enjoyer of happiness
• sukha-bhāk: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sukha (प्रातिपदिक) + bhāj (प्रातिपदिक; from √bhaj)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास: सुखस्य भाक् = partaker of happiness; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; tvam इति विशेषण

• bhava: be
• bhava: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √bhū (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (आज्ञार्थ/Imperative), मध्यम-पुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद; command

Speaker

Rambhā (implied continuation of her report/speech to Indra; speaker not explicitly restated in this verse)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra (didactic backdrop)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Indra (Sahasrākṣa) with devas

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Rambhā’s report intensifies: she declares the sage’s accumulated austerity is destroyed; Indra is told he has become ‘without splendor’ and should now enjoy ease—an ironic, political consolation.

Characters & Entities

• Jābāli (implied)
• Indra (implied addressee)
• Tapas (austerity)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Tapas is a formidable spiritual force; harming or undermining it leads to loss of tejas and a fall from divine dignity.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Indirectly connected to the Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra māhātmya narrative; this verse itself emphasizes the power of austerity rather than describing the site.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No prescription is given; the verse comments on the results of interfering with austerities.