Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 50

Devanagari script

त्वया महत्तपस्तप्तं ध्यायंत्या हरवल्लभाम् । तपसा तुष्टिमायाता भवानी न सुनिष्ठुरा

Transliteration

tvayā mahattapastaptaṃ dhyāyaṃtyā haravallabhām | tapasā tuṣṭimāyātā bhavānī na suniṣṭhurā

Translation

Du hast große Askese geübt, indem du die Geliebte Haras betrachtetest. Durch diese Tapas ist Bhavānī zufrieden geworden — sie ist nicht hart gegen ihre Verehrer.

Word by Word

• त्वया: by you
• त्वया: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम; स्त्रीलिङ्गे (सम्बोधन-प्रसङ्गे) / सामान्यतः; तृतीया-विभक्ति (करण), एकवचन — instrumental singular ‘by you’

• महत्: great
• महत्: Visheshana (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन — adjective agreeing with ‘तपः’ (great)

• तपः: penance
• तपः: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तपस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन — ‘austerity/penance’ (object of ‘तप्तम्’)

• तप्तम्: performed (undertaken)
• तप्तम्: Kriya-visheshana (Verbal qualifier)
• Type: Verb
• Root: तप् (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (क्त-प्रत्यय); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन — ‘performed/undertaken (heated)’ qualifying ‘तपः’

• ध्यायन्त्या: while meditating
• ध्यायन्त्या: Kriya-visheshana (Concomitant action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ध्यै (धातु) + शतृ (कृदन्त)
• Form: वर्तमानकाले कृदन्त (शतृ/शानच्); स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन — ‘while meditating’ (by you, meditating)

• हरवल्लभाम्: Hara’s beloved (Pārvatī)
• हरवल्लभाम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हर (प्रातिपदिक) + वल्लभा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (‘हरस्य वल्लभा’); स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन — object of meditation

• तपसा: by penance
• तपसा: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तपस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन — instrumental ‘by penance’

• तुष्टिम्: satisfaction
• तुष्टिम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तुष्टि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन — object ‘satisfaction’

• आयाता: has attained/has come to
• आयाता: Kriya (Predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: या (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त) उपसर्ग-आ
• Form: भूतकर्मणि/कर्तरि कृदन्त (क्त); स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — ‘has come/has attained’ agreeing with ‘भवानी’

• भवानी: Bhavānī (Pārvatī)
• भवानी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भवानी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — subject

• न: not
• न: Negation
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-अव्यय (negation particle)

• सुनिष्ठुरा: very harsh
• सुनिष्ठुरा: Visheshya-puraka (Predicate adjective)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सु (उपसर्ग/अव्यय) + निष्ठुर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — predicate adjective ‘very harsh’ (negated)

Speaker

Śacī (Indrāṇī)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A devotee-woman absorbed in austerity and meditation, while Bhavānī’s benign presence is implied—her face gentle, signaling acceptance of tapas.

Characters & Entities

• Hara
• Bhavānī
• Haravallabhā (Pārvatī)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Meditative devotion to the Goddess, sustained through tapas, softens destiny—Bhavānī responds with compassion.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

This is part of a broader tīrtha-māhātmya narrative in Adhyāya 62; the site context is chapter-level rather than verse-specific.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

The verse indicates dhyāna (meditation) and tapas (austerity) as the devotional practice, without procedural specifics.