Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 71

Devanagari script

सारस्वत उवाच । तपश्च कृतवान्रुद्रः समागम्य हिमाचलम् । तस्योमा परमां भक्तिं चकार शिवसंनिधौ

Transliteration

sārasvata uvāca | tapaśca kṛtavānrudraḥ samāgamya himācalam | tasyomā paramāṃ bhaktiṃ cakāra śivasaṃnidhau

Translation

Sārasvata sprach: „Rudra übte Askese, nachdem er zum Himācala gelangt war; und dort erwies Umā, in Śivas unmittelbarer Gegenwart, die höchste Hingabe.“

Word by Word

• सारस्वतः: Sārasvata
• सारस्वतः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सारस्वत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

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

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

• कृतवान्: performed; did
• कृतवान्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु) + क्तवतुँ (कृत्-प्रत्यय)
• Form: क्तवतुँ-कृदन्त (perfect participle/agentive), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; कर्तरि प्रयोगः; 'having done'

• रुद्रः: Rudra
• रुद्रः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रुद्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• समागम्य: having come/approached
• समागम्य: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सम् + आ + गम् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय (absolutive/gerund)

• हिमाचलम्: Himālaya (snow-mountain)
• हिमाचलम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हिम (प्रातिपदिक) + अचल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; कर्मधारयः (हिमः अचलः)

• तस्य: of him
• तस्य: Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• उमा: Umā
• उमा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: उमा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• परमाम्: supreme
• परमाम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: परम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; भक्तिम् इति विशेषण

• भक्तिम्: devotion
• भक्तिम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भक्ति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• चकार: did/made
• चकार: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• शिव-संनिधौ: in Śiva's presence
• शिव-संनिधौ: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शिव (प्रातिपदिक) + संनिधि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (शिवस्य संनिधिः)

Speaker

Sārasvata

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Himācala (as tapas-bhūmi)

Type: peak

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Audience/interlocutor in the Vastrāpatha-māhātmya frame (not specified in the excerpt)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Snowy Himālaya setting: Rudra engaged in austerity (still, ash-smeared, matted locks), while Umā stands nearby in reverent devotion, hands folded, eyes fixed on Śiva’s presence; a sense of sacred silence and mountain vastness.

Characters & Entities

• Sārasvata
• Rudra (Śiva)
• Umā
• Himācala (Himalaya)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Tapas and bhakti together are portrayed as the ideal devotional discipline in the Śaiva path.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

While the section is Vastrāpathakṣetra Māhātmya (Prabhāsa Khaṇḍa), the verse references Himācala/Himālaya as a sanctified setting for tapas.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Austerity (tapas) and devotional worship (bhakti) in Śiva’s presence are implied as the recommended practice.