Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 2

Devanagari script

युधिष्ठिर उवाच । कथं देवो जगद्धाता सर्वदेवनमस्कृतः । तपस्तपति देवेशस्तापसो भास्करो रविः

Transliteration

yudhiṣṭhira uvāca | kathaṃ devo jagaddhātā sarvadevanamaskṛtaḥ | tapastapati deveśastāpaso bhāskaro raviḥ

Translation

Yudhiṣṭhira said: How is it that the Lord—the creator of the world, bowed to by all the gods—Ravi Bhāskara, the God of gods, performs tapas as an ascetic?

Word by Word

• युधिष्ठिरः: Yudhiṣṭhira
• युधिष्ठिरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युधिष्ठिर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• कथम्: how
• कथम्: Kriya-vishesana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: कथम् (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रश्नार्थक-अव्यय (interrogative adverb)

• देवः: the god
• देवः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• जगत्-धाता: supporter/creator of the world
• जगत्-धाता: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जगत् (प्रातिपदिक) + धातृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (जगतः धाता)

• सर्व-देव-नमस्कृतः: revered by all gods
• सर्व-देव-नमस्कृतः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक) + देव (प्रातिपदिक) + नमस् + कृ (धातु) → नमस्कृत (कृदन्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; भूतकृदन्त (क्त), ‘नमस्कृत’ = ‘नमः कृतः’; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (सर्वदेवैः नमस्कृतः)

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

• तपति: performs/undertakes (austerity)
• तपति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: तप् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• देवेशः: Lord of the gods
• देवेशः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक) + ईश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (देवानाम् ईशः)

• तापसः: ascetic
• तापसः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तापस (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• भास्करः: the Sun (Bhāskara)
• भास्करः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भास्कर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• रविः: the Sun (Ravi)
• रविः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रवि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

Speaker

Yudhiṣṭhira

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā (Narmadā) tīrtha sphere (contextual)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Yudhiṣṭhira

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A royal inquirer (Yudhiṣṭhira) respectfully questions a sage about why the radiant Sun-god, praised by all gods, undertakes ascetic austerities; the setting suggests a forest-āśrama near a sacred river.

Characters & Entities

• Yudhiṣṭhira
• Ravi (Sūrya)
• Bhāskara

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

It frames humility and austerity as universal—even cosmic deities exemplify discipline to teach dharma to the world.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Indirectly Ravi-tīrtha (from the surrounding passage), though this verse itself is a theological question about Sūrya’s tapas.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it is an inquiry preparing for the tīrtha’s origin and merit.