Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 10

Devanagari script

आसीत्पूर्वं महीपाल मुनिर्मान्यः पराशरः । तेनात्युग्रं तपश्चीर्णं गङ्गाम्भसि महाफलम्

Transliteration

āsītpūrvaṃ mahīpāla munirmānyaḥ parāśaraḥ | tenātyugraṃ tapaścīrṇaṃ gaṅgāmbhasi mahāphalam

Translation

Autrefois, ô protecteur de la terre, il y eut le vénérable sage Parāśara. Il accomplit une ascèse extrêmement ardente dans les eaux du Gaṅgā, porteuse d’un grand fruit.

Word by Word

• आसीत्: there was
• आसीत्: Kriya (क्रिया/Verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (धातु)
• Form: लङ्-लकार (Imperfect/Past), परस्मैपद, प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन

• पूर्वम्: formerly/before
• पूर्वम्: Kala (काल/Time)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पूर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; क्रियाविशेषण-प्रयोग (formerly)

• महीपाल: O king (protector of earth)
• महीपाल: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन/Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मही (प्रातिपदिक) + पाल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (महीपालः = महीं पालयति/महीपालः)

• मुनिः: sage
• मुनिः: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मुनि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• मान्यः: venerable/respected
• मान्यः: Visheshana (विशेषण/Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मान्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifying मुनिः)

• पराशरः: Parāśara
• पराशरः: Apposition (समानााधिकरण/Identifier)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पराशर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; नाम (proper noun)

• तेन: by him
• तेन: Karta (कर्ता/Agent in passive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, तृतीया-विभक्ति (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन

• अति-उग्रम्: exceedingly fierce
• अति-उग्रम्: Visheshana (विशेषण/Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अति (उपसर्ग/अव्यय) + उग्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifying तपः)

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

• चीर्णम्: performed/practised
• चीर्णम्: Kriya (क्रियासमान/Predicate participle)
• Type: Verb
• Root: चर् (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (Past Passive Participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्मणि-भाव (performed)

• गङ्गाम्भसि: in the waters of the Gaṅgā
• गङ्गाम्भसि: Adhikarana (अधिकरण/Location)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गङ्गा (प्रातिपदिक) + अम्भस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (7th/Locative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (गङ्गायाः अम्भसि)

• महाफलम्: greatly fruitful
• महाफलम्: Visheshana (विशेषण/Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महा (प्रातिपदिक) + फल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; कर्मधारय (महच्च तत् फलम्); विशेषण (of तपः/its result)

Speaker

Unspecified narrator/elder speaker

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Gaṅgā (as narrative locus)

Type: river

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: māhīpāla / nṛpātmaja (royal addressee across the episode)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Sage Parāśara stands or sits immersed in the Gaṅgā, performing fierce austerity; the river glows; the king is addressed as ‘māhīpāla’.

Characters & Entities

• Parāśara
• Gaṅgā

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Intense tapas performed with resolve—especially at sacred waters—bears great spiritual fruit in Purāṇic ethics.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Gaṅgā is explicitly mentioned as the setting of Parāśara’s austerity, within a larger Revā Khaṇḍa tīrtha narrative.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Austerity (tapas) in sacred waters is described, but no step-by-step prescription is given.