Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 70

Devanagari script

तपर्तुरेव साक्षाच्च कुमारी कैतवात्किल । पंचाग्नीन्परिधायात्र तपस्यति तपोवने

Transliteration

tapartureva sākṣācca kumārī kaitavātkila | paṃcāgnīnparidhāyātra tapasyati tapovane

Translation

Vraiment, comme si elle était la saison même de l’ascèse rendue visible, cette jeune fille—sans artifice—accomplissait le tapas dans la forêt du tapas, s’entourant des cinq feux.

Word by Word

• तपः-ऋतुः: the season of austerity (summer)
• तपः-ऋतुः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तपस् (प्रातिपदिक) + ऋतु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (तपसः ऋतुः = तपः-ऋतुः)

• एव: indeed
• एव: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle), अव्यय; emphatic ‘indeed/just’

• साक्षात्: directly
• साक्षात्: Kriya-vishesana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: साक्षात् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb), ‘directly/in person’

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Conjunction/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक निपात (conjunction)

• कुमारी: the maiden
• कुमारी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कुमारी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• कैतवात्: from deceit; without deceit
• कैतवात्: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कैतव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुंलिङ्ग (भाव/दोष), पञ्चमी (5th), एकवचन; अपादान (ablative)

• किल: indeed/they say
• किल: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: किल (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle) — reportative/indeed ‘it is said’

• पञ्च-अग्नीन्: the five fires
• पञ्च-अग्नीन्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पञ्च (संख्या, प्रातिपदिक) + अग्नि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), बहुवचन; द्विगु-समासः (पञ्च अग्नयः)

• परिधाय: having arranged (around)
• परिधाय: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: परि-धा (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund), अव्यय; ‘having placed/arranged around’

• अत्र: here
• अत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक अव्यय (adverb of place)

• तपस्यति: performs austerity
• तपस्यति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: तपस् (धातु √तप्)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• तपो-वने: in the forest of austerities
• तपो-वने: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तपस् (प्रातिपदिक) + वन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (तपसः वनम्)

Speaker

Skanda

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī-kṣetra (tapovana within Kāśī)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A young maiden in a forest clearing performs pañcāgni-tapas: four fires around her and the sun above, her posture unwavering, aura of heat shimmering, ascetic simplicity and purity emphasized.

Characters & Entities

• tapo-vana
• Kāśī (Kṣetra)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sincere, undeceiving discipline (akaitava) makes tapas spiritually efficacious and worthy of praise.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The tapovana within Kāśī Kṣetra—Kāśī as the preeminent purifying field for ascetic practice.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Pañcāgni-tapas: practicing austerity while surrounded by five fires (a severe ascetic observance).