Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 3

Devanagari script

अतपद्वै तपो घोरं कन्दमूलफलाशनः । वर्षाणामयुतं साग्रं प्रतिष्ठाप्य महेश्वरम्

Transliteration

atapadvai tapo ghoraṃ kandamūlaphalāśanaḥ | varṣāṇāmayutaṃ sāgraṃ pratiṣṭhāpya maheśvaram

Translation

Il entreprit de terribles austérités, ne se nourrissant que de racines, de tubercules et de fruits ; et durant un peu plus de dix mille ans, il y établit (et vénéra) Maheśvara.

Word by Word

• अतपत्: performed austerity
• अतपत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: तप् (धातु)
• Form: लङ् (Imperfect/Past), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular), परस्मैपद

• वै: indeed
• वै: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वै (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निश्चय/उपपादक (emphatic particle)

• तपः: austerity
• तपः: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तपस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन (Singular)

• घोरम्: terrible, intense
• घोरम्: Visheshana (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: घोर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन (Singular)

• कन्दमूलफलाशनः: one who ate (only) bulbs, roots, and fruits
• कन्दमूलफलाशनः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कन्द (प्रातिपदिक) + मूल (प्रातिपदिक) + फल (प्रातिपदिक) + आशन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन (Singular); बहुपद-तत्पुरुष (कन्द-मूल-फलानि आशनम् यस्य)

• वर्षाणाम्: of years
• वर्षाणाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वर्ष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन (Plural)

• अयुतम्: ten thousand
• अयुतम्: Karma (Measure/परिमाण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अयुत (प्रातिपदिक/संख्याशब्द)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन (Singular); संख्यावाचक (ten thousand)

• साग्रम्: and more (with an excess)
• साग्रम्: Visheshana (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स (उपसर्ग/प्रातिपदिक) + अग्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन (Singular); स-अग्र = अधिक/उपरि सहित (with an excess)

• प्रतिष्ठाप्य: having installed
• प्रतिष्ठाप्य: Kriya (Non-finite action/पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्रति-स्था (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (Absolutive/Gerund), अव्ययभाव; causative sense in context ‘to install’

• महेश्वरम्: Mahēśvara (Śiva)
• महेश्वरम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महेश्वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन (Singular)

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Maṃkīśvara / Maheśvara-sthāpana at Prabhāsa

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Mahādevī (Pārvatī)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Sage Maṃkī performs fierce austerities in a sacred grove near the confluence, subsisting on roots and fruits; time passes in symbolic cycles; finally he installs a radiant Śiva-liṅga (Maheśvara) with ritual fire and offerings.

Characters & Entities

• Maṃkī Ṛṣi
• Maheśvara (Śiva)
• Prabhāsa-kṣetra

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sustained tapas combined with devotion (especially establishing Śiva) is portrayed as a powerful means to sanctify a place and attain divine grace.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The locale that becomes associated with Maṃkī’s installation of Maheśvara—later known as Maṃkīśvara in Prabhāsa-kṣetra.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Liṅga-pratiṣṭhā (establishing/enshrining Maheśvara) is referenced, along with ascetic discipline.