Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 4

Devanagari script

तत्रस्थाश्च तपो घोरं तेपुस्ते योगमाश्रिताः । दिव्याब्दानां सहस्रं तु ततस्तुष्टो महेश्वरः

Transliteration

tatrasthāśca tapo ghoraṃ tepuste yogamāśritāḥ | divyābdānāṃ sahasraṃ tu tatastuṣṭo maheśvaraḥ

Translation

Dort verweilend, vollzogen sie strenge Askesen, im Yoga gegründet. Nach tausend göttlichen Jahren wurde Maheśvara zufrieden.

Word by Word

• तत्रस्थाः: (those) staying there
• तत्रस्थाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तत्र-स्थ (प्रातिपदिक; स्था-धातु-निष्पन्न)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past participle sense) ‘स्थित’

• च: and
• च: Sambandha/Connector
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• तपः: austerity, penance
• तपः: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तपस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• घोरम्: terrible, intense
• घोरम्: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: घोर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; ‘तपः’ विशेषण

• तेपुः: they performed (austerity)
• तेपुः: Kriya (Action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: तप् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन; परस्मैपद

• ते: they
• ते: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; सर्वनाम

• योगम्: yoga
• योगम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: योग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• आश्रिताः: having resorted to
• आश्रिताः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: आ-श्रि (धातु)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle)

• दिव्याब्दानाम्: of divine years
• दिव्याब्दानाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दिव्य-अब्द (प्रातिपदिक; दिव्य + अब्द)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन

• सहस्रम्: a thousand
• सहस्रम्: Karma/Measure (Object as measure)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सहस्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; परिमाणवाचक

• तु: indeed, then
• तु: Sambandha/Discourse particle
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारण/विरोधबोधक-अव्यय (particle)

• ततः: thereafter
• ततः: Adverbial (Kriya-visheshana)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय; तद्-तसिल्)
• Form: अव्यय, अपादान/क्रमबोधक (from that/thereafter)

• तुष्टः: pleased
• तुष्टः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तुष् (धातु)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त

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

Speaker

Śiva (addressing Devī/Pārvatī, inferred)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa (tapas-bhūmi context)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Mahādevī (Pārvatī)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Gaṇas reside in Prabhāsa performing fierce austerities—standing, seated in meditation, breath-control—while time is symbolized by a thousand celestial years; Śiva’s pleased presence dawns.

Characters & Entities

• Maheśvara
• Gaṇas
• Prabhāsa
• Yoga
• Tapas

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Steady yoga joined with tapas in a holy kṣetra culminates in divine grace (Īśvara-prasāda).

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa-kṣetra, where intense yoga-tapas is portrayed as especially fruitful.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Austerity (tapas) and yogic discipline are described; no fixed external ritual is specified.