Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 140

Devanagari script

तावत्तताप स तपस्त्वगस्थिपरिशेषितम् । यावद्बभूव तद्वर्ष्म वर्षाणामयुतं शतम्

Transliteration

tāvattatāpa sa tapastvagasthipariśeṣitam | yāvadbabhūva tadvarṣma varṣāṇāmayutaṃ śatam

Translation

Il accomplit des austérités (tapas) jusqu’à ne plus laisser que peau et os, et il persévéra jusqu’à ce que son corps endurât ainsi pendant cent myriades d’années.

Word by Word

• तावत्: so long; for that duration
• तावत्: Kriya-visheshana (Extent/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तावत् (अव्यय)
• Form: परिमाण/अवधिवाचक-अव्यय (correlative adverb: ‘so long/so much’)

• तताप: performed austerity; heated (himself)
• तताप: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: तप् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सर्वनाम

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

• त्वगस्थिपरिशेषितम्: leaving only skin and bones; reduced to skin and bone
• त्वगस्थिपरिशेषितम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: त्वच्-अस्थि-परिशेषित (प्रातिपदिक; त्वच् + अस्थि + परिशेषित)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘परिशेषित’ = क्त-प्रत्ययान्त from √शिष्/√शेष (to remain) with परि-; विशेषणम् (to ‘तपः’)

• यावत्: until; as long as
• यावत्: Kriya-visheshana (Limit/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यावत् (अव्यय)
• Form: सम्बन्धसूचक-अव्यय (correlative: ‘until/as long as’)

• बभूव: became; came to be
• बभूव: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन

• तत्: that
• तत्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सर्वनाम; विशेषणम् (to ‘वर्ष्म’)

• वर्ष्म: body; form
• वर्ष्म: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वर्ष्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• वर्षाणाम्: of years
• वर्षाणाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वर्ष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive), बहुवचन

• अयुतं: ten thousand
• अयुतं: Visheshana (Quantifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अयुत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; संख्यावाचक (numeral)

• शतम्: a hundred
• शतम्: Visheshana (Quantifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; संख्यावाचक

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa narrative, typically Skanda to Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī-kṣetra (contextual)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: null

Visual Art Cues

Scene: An emaciated ascetic seated in unwavering posture, ribs visible, matted hair, surrounded by the slow passage of ages—seasons cycling, stars wheeling—yet he remains fixed in austerity.

Characters & Entities

• Tapas (austerity)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Tapas is portrayed as a transformative force—purifying and empowering the seeker through extreme endurance and steadfastness.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific tīrtha is named in this verse; it serves as a narrative emphasis on austerity within the Kāśīkhaṇḍa context.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit ritual; it describes prolonged tapas (austerity) as a spiritual practice.