Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 10

Devanagari script

तस्यैवं तप्यमानस्य तपस्तीव्रं महात्मनः । माहिषं रूपमास्थाय निश्चक्राम धरातलात्

Transliteration

tasyaivaṃ tapyamānasya tapastīvraṃ mahātmanaḥ | māhiṣaṃ rūpamāsthāya niścakrāma dharātalāt

Translation

Tandis que cette grande âme pratiquait ainsi une austérité féroce, (le Seigneur) prit la forme d'un buffle et émergea de la surface de la terre.

Word by Word

• तस्य: of him
• तस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; षष्ठी (6th/Genitive); एकवचन

• एवम्: thus
• एवम्: Sambandha (Manner/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एवम् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रकारवाचक (manner adverb)

• तप्यमानस्य: while (he was) performing austerity / being engaged in penance
• तप्यमानस्य: Sambandha (Genitive absolute-like/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Verb
• Root: तप् (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त; शानच्/मान-प्रत्यय (वर्तमानकाले कर्मणि/आत्मनेपद-भावे वर्तमान कृदन्त); पुंलिङ्ग; षष्ठी; एकवचन

• तपः: austerity
• तपः: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तपस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया; एकवचन (अत्र कर्मरूपेण)

• तीव्रम्: intense
• तीव्रम्: Karma (Qualifier of object/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तीव्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया; एकवचन; विशेषण (तपः)

• महात्मनः: of the great-souled one
• महात्मनः: Sambandha (Genitive apposition/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महात्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; षष्ठी; एकवचन

• माहिषम्: buffalo-like
• माहिषम्: Karma (Qualifier of object/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: माहिष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया; एकवचन; विशेषण (रूपम्)

• रूपम्: form
• रूपम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रूप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया; एकवचन

• आस्थाय: having assumed/taken
• आस्थाय: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ-स्था (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त; ल्यप् (क्त्वान्त अव्ययभाव/gerund); अव्यय

• निश्चक्राम: came out, emerged
• निश्चक्राम: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: निस्-क्रम् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect); प्रथमपुरुष; एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• धरातलात्: from the surface of the earth
• धरातलात्: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धरातल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; पञ्चमी (5th/Ablative); एकवचन; कर्मधारय (धरायाः तलम्)

Speaker

Sūta

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Gaṅgādvāra (contextual)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: From the ground near the riverbank, a powerful buffalo-form bursts forth—dust and light rising—while Indra continues austerity, devas startled in awe; the moment signals Śiva’s arrival in disguise.

Characters & Entities

• Śiva (implied)
• Indra (context)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sincere austerity performed at a sacred place draws divine response; the Lord may manifest in unexpected forms to protect dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The manifestation occurs in the same tīrtha-context established at Gaṅgādvāra, reinforcing the site’s power to invoke divine presence.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Tapas is the operative practice; the verse illustrates its ‘phala’ (result) rather than prescribing a specific rite.