Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 171

Devanagari script

तपोवनं यत्र शिवः स्थितः प्रमथसंवृतः । किरातो हि तथा दृष्टो नंदिना च तदा भृशम्

Transliteration

tapovanaṃ yatra śivaḥ sthitaḥ pramathasaṃvṛtaḥ | kirāto hi tathā dṛṣṭo naṃdinā ca tadā bhṛśam

Translation

Nandī parvint au bois des austérités où Śiva demeurait, entouré des Pramathas ; et là, il vit distinctement le Kirāta.

Word by Word

• तपोवनम्: the forest of austerities (Tapovana)
• तपोवनम्: Adhikarana (Locative sense via relative clause context/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तपोवन (प्रातिपदिक; तपस् + वन)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (1st/2nd), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समासः (तपसः वनम्)

• यत्र: where
• यत्र: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; सम्बन्धबोधक-स्थानवाचक (relative adverb: 'where')

• शिवः: Śiva
• शिवः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शिव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st), एकवचन

• स्थितः: standing, stationed
• स्थितः: Karta-samānādhikaraṇa (Predicative to subject/कर्तृसमानााधिकरण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्था (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (past passive participle); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; अर्थः—'स्थितः' = 'standing/remaining'

• प्रमथसंवृतः: surrounded by the Pramathas
• प्रमथसंवृतः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्रमथ (प्रातिपदिक) + संवृत (√वृ/वृञ् धातु, क्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समासः (प्रमथैः संवृतः)

• किरातः: the Kirāta (hunter)
• किरातः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किरात (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• हि: indeed
• हि: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात (emphatic/causal particle)

• तथा: thus
• तथा: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रियाविशेषण (adverb: 'thus/in that manner')

• दृष्टः: was seen
• दृष्टः: Karma (Object as grammatical subject in passive/कर्म)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश् (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (past passive participle); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; कर्मणि प्रयोगभावः—'was seen'

• नंदिना: by Nandin
• नंदिना: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नन्दिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (3rd), एकवचन

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Connector/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयार्थक-निपात (conjunction)

• तदा: then
• तदा: Kala-adhikarana (Temporal/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तदा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (temporal adverb: 'then')

• भृशम्: greatly, intensely
• भृशम्: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: भृशम् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; परिमाण/तीव्रतावाचक क्रियाविशेषण (adverb: 'greatly')

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) narrating to the sages (contextual attribution)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Tapovana (Kedāra-kṣetra)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A high Himalayan grove of austerities: Śiva seated in stillness, encircled by Pramathas; Nandī arrives and beholds a Kirāta figure clearly amid the sacred wild.

Characters & Entities

• Śiva
• Pramathas
• Nandī
• Kirāta
• Tapovana

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Holy places are portrayed as living spaces of Śiva’s presence, where devotees encounter divine signs and companions.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Kedāra region’s tapovana (ascetic grove) associated with Śiva in the Kedārakhaṇḍa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it situates the narrative within a sacred ascetic landscape.