Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 3

Devanagari script

तपस्तेपे महादेवि शिवभक्तिपरायणः । तस्यैवं तप्यमानस्य तस्मिन्देशे वरानने

Transliteration

tapastepe mahādevi śivabhaktiparāyaṇaḥ | tasyaivaṃ tapyamānasya tasmindeśe varānane

Translation

O Mahādevī, er übte strenge Askese, ganz der Śiva-bhakti hingegeben. Während er so in jener Gegend seine Buße vollzog, o Schönantlitzige—

Word by Word

• tapaḥ: austerity/penance
• tapaḥ: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tapas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• tepe: performed (penance)
• tepe: Kriya (Action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: tap (तप् धातु)
• Form: लिट् (परोक्षभूत/Perfect), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• mahādevi: O great goddess
• mahādevi: Sambodhana (Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahādevī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचन

• śiva-bhakti-parāyaṇaḥ: devoted to devotion to Śiva
• śiva-bhakti-parāyaṇaḥ: Karta (Qualifier of subject)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śiva (प्रातिपदिक) + bhakti (प्रातिपदिक) + parāyaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (शिवे भक्तिः यस्य/शिवभक्तौ परायणः), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• tasya: of him
• tasya: Sambandha (Genitive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, षष्ठी, एकवचन

• evam: thus/in this way
• evam: Kriya-vishesana (Manner)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: evam (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (प्रकारवाचक)

• tapyamānasya: while he was performing austerities
• tapyamānasya: Sambandha (Genitive absolute-like)
• Type: Verb
• Root: tap (तप् धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त (शानच्/वर्तमानकाले कर्मणि/आत्मनेपदी भाव), षष्ठी, एकवचन; ‘तप्यमान’ = doing penance/being engaged in austerity

• tasmin: in that
• tasmin: Adhikarana (Location)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, सप्तमी, एकवचन

• deśe: place/region
• deśe: Adhikarana (Location)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन

• varānane: O fair-faced one
• varānane: Sambodhana (Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: varānanā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचन

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Taṇḍī-tapas-sthāna on Devikā-taṭa (Prabhāsa)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Mahādevī (Pārvatī)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Ascetic Taṇḍī seated in deep meditation on Devikā’s bank, matted hair, rudrākṣa beads, a small Śiva-liṅga or bilva tree nearby; the atmosphere is charged with tapas heat (tejas) yet serene; Śiva and Devī appear as subtle witnessing presences.

Characters & Entities

• Mahādevī (Pārvatī)
• Śiva
• Taṇḍī (implied)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Devotion to Śiva expressed through tapas sanctifies a place and becomes the seed of tīrtha-mahātmya.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Devikā riverbank region in Prabhāsakṣetra, connected with Taṇḍī’s penance.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Tapas (austerity) grounded in Śiva-bhakti is praised, though no specific vow details are given in this half-verse.