Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 14

Devanagari script

अतपच्च घृतश्वासः कुण्डलो भरतर्षभ । चतुर्थे वर्षशतके तुतोष वृषवाहनः

Transliteration

atapacca ghṛtaśvāsaḥ kuṇḍalo bharatarṣabha | caturthe varṣaśatake tutoṣa vṛṣavāhanaḥ

Translation

Ainsi Kuṇḍala—dont le souffle était comme le ghee, stable et maîtrisé—ô taureau parmi les Bharata, poursuivit ses austérités; et dans la quatrième centaine d’années, Vṛṣavāhana, le Seigneur à l’étendard du taureau (Śiva), fut satisfait.

Word by Word

• अतपत्: performed austerity / did penance
• अतपत्: Kriyā (Verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: तप् (धातु)
• Form: लङ् लकार; प्रथमपुरुष; एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

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

• घृतश्वासः: Ghṛtaśvāsa (proper name)
• घृतश्वासः: Kartṛ (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: घृत + श्वास (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा विभक्ति; एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (घृत-श्वासः = घृतं श्वासो यस्य/घृतश्वास-नाम)

• कुण्डलः: Kuṇḍala
• कुण्डलः: Kartṛ (Apposition)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कुण्डल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा विभक्ति; एकवचन; (नाम)

• भरतर्षभ: O bull among the Bharatas
• भरतर्षभ: Sambodhana (Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भरत + ऋषभ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; सम्बोधन विभक्ति; एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (भरतानाम् ऋषभः)

• चतुर्थे: in the fourth
• चतुर्थे: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: चतुर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; सप्तमी विभक्ति; एकवचन; विशेषणम् (वर्षशतके)

• वर्षशतके: in the (period of) a hundred years
• वर्षशतके: Adhikaraṇa (Locative)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वर्षशतक (प्रातिपदिक; वर्ष + शतक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; सप्तमी विभक्ति; एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (वर्षाणां शतकम्)

• तुतोष: was pleased
• तुतोष: Kriyā (Verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: तुष् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् लकार (Perfect); प्रथमपुरुष; एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• वृषवाहनः: the bull-bannered one (Śiva)
• वृषवाहनः: Kartṛ (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वृष + वाहन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा विभक्ति; एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (वृषः वाहनं यस्य)

Speaker

Mārkaṇḍeya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā (Narmadā)

Type: river

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: King addressed as ‘bharatarṣabha’

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Kundala the ascetic continues penance; the atmosphere shifts as Śiva (Vṛṣavāhana) becomes pleased—subtle divine radiance appears above the riverbank hermitage.

Characters & Entities

• Kuṇḍala/Kuṇḍa
• Śiva (Vṛṣavāhana)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Śiva’s grace is portrayed as the culmination of sustained tapas, affirming that sincere endurance ripens into divine favor.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The narrative belongs to the Revā/Narmadā sphere; this verse emphasizes Śiva’s response rather than naming a distinct tīrtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Extended tapas is described; no specific dāna, snāna, or japa is prescribed in this line.