Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 5

Devanagari script

ततश्चैव तपस्तेपे वैराग्यं परमं गतः । अहं वार्द्धक्यमापन्ना कौमार्येऽपि च संस्थिता

Transliteration

tataścaiva tapastepe vairāgyaṃ paramaṃ gataḥ | ahaṃ vārddhakyamāpannā kaumārye'pi ca saṃsthitā

Translation

Alors il entreprit des austérités et parvint au détachement suprême. Quant à moi, bien que demeurant vierge, je suis tombée dans la vieillesse.

Word by Word

• tataḥ: then
• tataḥ: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tataḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रमवाचक (then)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय (and)

• eva: indeed
• eva: Sambandha (Emphasis)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधारण (emphasis ‘indeed/just’)

• tapaḥ: austerity
• tapaḥ: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tapas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular)

• tepe: performed (austerity)
• tepe: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: tap (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular), परस्मैपद

• vairāgyam: dispassion
• vairāgyam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vairāgya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular)

• paramam: supreme
• paramam: Karma-visheshana (Object qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: parama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular)

• gataḥ: having attained
• gataḥ: Karta-samānādhikaraṇa (Predicate adjective)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: gam (धातु) + kta (कृत्-प्रत्यय)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त, पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• aham: I
• aham: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तम-पुरुष-सर्वनाम, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• vārddhakyam: old age
• vārddhakyam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vārddhakya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular)

• āpannā: having reached, fallen into
• āpannā: Karta-samānādhikaraṇa (Predicate adjective)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ā + pad (धातु) + kta (कृत्-प्रत्यय)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त, स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• kaumārye: in maidenhood
• kaumārye: Adhikarana (State/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kaumārya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन (Singular)

• api: even
• api: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अपि (even/also)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय (and)

• saṃsthitā: remained, was established
• saṃsthitā: Karta-samānādhikaraṇa (Predicate adjective)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sam + sthā (धातु) + kta (कृत्-प्रत्यय)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त, स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

Speaker

Karṇotpalā

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Gaurīpāda-sthāna (contextual)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Ṛṣis

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A split narrative: (1) the father as an ascetic performing tapas, lean and resolute; (2) Kārṇotpalā, youthful in attire yet with an aged visage, conveying premature old age; Devī listens, poised to remedy.

Characters & Entities

• Karṇotpalā
• father (tāpasī/beginning ascetic life implied)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Austerity and renunciation transform the sufferer, while divine grace can also address bodily decline when sought righteously.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The tīrtha context is ongoing but unnamed in this verse; later verses indicate a sacred water-reservoir (jalāśaya) for the remedy.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Tapas (austerity) is mentioned as the father’s practice; the bathing rite is prescribed later.