Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 36

Devanagari script

तपस्तपन्तौ तौ तत्र ह्यद्यापि किल भारत । भ्रातरौ संयतात्मानौ ध्यायतः परमं पदम्

Transliteration

tapastapantau tau tatra hyadyāpi kila bhārata | bhrātarau saṃyatātmānau dhyāyataḥ paramaṃ padam

Translation

On dit, ô Bhārata, que ces deux frères, s’adonnant là aux austérités, demeurent encore aujourd’hui : maîtres d’eux-mêmes, méditant sur l’État suprême.

Word by Word

• tapaḥ: austerity
• tapaḥ: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tapas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; कर्म (तपन्तौ)

• tapantau: performing (austerities)
• tapantau: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √tap (धातु) + śatṛ (शतृ)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), द्विवचन; वर्तमानकाले कृदन्त (शतृ) ‘तपन्त’—विधेय/कर्तृवाचक (performing austerity)

• tau: those two
• tau: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), द्विवचन; सर्वनाम

• tatra: there
• tatra: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatra (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक-अव्यय (locative adverb)

• hi: indeed/for
• hi: Discourse particle (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: hi (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; हेत्वर्थ/निश्चयार्थक-निपात

• adyāpi: even today/still
• adyāpi: Kāla-adhikaraṇa (Time/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: adya (अव्यय) + api (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक-अव्यय (even today/still now)

• kila: it is said
• kila: Discourse particle (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: kila (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रसिद्ध्यर्थ/श्रुत्यर्थक-निपात (it is said/indeed)

• bhārata: O Bhārata
• bhārata: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhārata (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative), एकवचन

• bhrātarau: two brothers
• bhrātarau: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhrātṛ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), द्विवचन

• saṃyata-ātmānau: self-controlled
• saṃyata-ātmānau: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: saṃyata (कृदन्त/प्रातिपदिक) + ātman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), द्विवचन; कर्मधारयः ‘संयत आत्मा’ (self-controlled) विशेषण (bhrātarau)

• dhyāyataḥ: meditating
• dhyāyataḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √dhyai (धातु) + śatṛ (शतृ)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), द्विवचन; वर्तमानकाले कृदन्त (शतृ) ‘ध्यायत्’ (meditating)

• paramam: supreme
• paramam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: parama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; विशेषण (पदम्)

• padam: state/abode
• padam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pada (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

Speaker

Sūta (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Tapas-sthāna of the two brothers (unnamed here) near Māṇḍavyeśvara

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Bhārata

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Two ascetic brothers sit in deep meditation beneath ancient trees near a quiet shrine/riverbank; their bodies still, faces luminous; the landscape suggests timelessness—‘even today’—with a subtle aura indicating continuous tapas.

Characters & Entities

• Bhārata (address)
• Two brothers (unnamed)
• Parama-pada

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

A tīrtha is not only a place of ritual but also a living seat of tapas and contemplation aimed at liberation (parama-pada).

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Revā Khaṇḍa setting connected with Māṇḍavyeśvara/Nārāyaṇa, depicted as an enduring ascetic center.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Tapas (austerity) and dhyāna (meditation) with self-restraint as recommended spiritual disciplines.