Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 21

Devanagari script

चकुरुग्रं तपस्ते तु पूजां देवस्य शूलिनः । तेषु वै तप्यमानेषु कृपाविष्टो महेश्वरः

Transliteration

cakurugraṃ tapaste tu pūjāṃ devasya śūlinaḥ | teṣu vai tapyamāneṣu kṛpāviṣṭo maheśvaraḥ

Translation

Ils entreprirent de rudes austérités et le culte du Dieu porteur du trident (Śiva) ; et tandis qu’ils brûlaient ainsi dans le tapas, Maheśvara fut saisi de compassion pour eux.

Word by Word

• चक्रुः: they did / performed
• चक्रुः: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन (Plural)

• उग्रम्: fierce, intense
• उग्रम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: उग्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), द्वितीया (Accusative), एकवचन (Singular); विशेषणम्

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

• ते: they
• ते: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा (Nominative), बहुवचन (Plural); सर्वनाम

• तु: but, indeed
• तु: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle), विरोध/विशेषार्थक (but/indeed)

• पूजाम्: worship
• पूजाम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पूजा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine), द्वितीया (Accusative), एकवचन (Singular)

• देवस्य: of the god
• देवस्य: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), षष्ठी (Genitive), एकवचन (Singular)

• शूलिनः: of the trident-bearer (Śiva)
• शूलिनः: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शूलिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), षष्ठी (Genitive), एकवचन (Singular); उपाधि/विशेषण-प्रयोग (epithet)

• तेषु: among them / in them
• तेषु: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), सप्तमी (Locative), बहुवचन (Plural); सर्वनाम

• वै: indeed
• वै: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वै (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (emphatic particle)

• तप्यमानेषु: while (they were) performing austerity / being engaged in penance
• तप्यमानेषु: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: तप् (धातु) + शानच् (कृदन्त-प्रत्यय)
• Form: वर्तमानकाले (Present), कर्मणि/आत्मनेपद-प्रयोग, शानच्-प्रत्ययान्त वर्तमानकृदन्त (present passive/ātmanepada participle); सप्तमी (Locative), बहुवचन (Plural)

• कृपाविष्टः: entered by compassion / moved with compassion
• कृपाविष्टः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कृपा (प्रातिपदिक) + आविश् (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (कृपया आविष्टः); पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा (Nominative), एकवचन (Singular); क्त-प्रत्ययान्त भूतकृदन्त (past participle)

• महेश्वरः: Mahēśvara (Śiva)
• महेश्वरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महेश्वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय-समास (महान् ईश्वरः); पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा (Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

Speaker

Narrator (Purāṇic narrator; specific speaker not explicit in this excerpt)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Naimiṣāraṇya sages

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Sages performing severe austerities—standing on one leg, arms raised, near a simple liṅga altar—while an unseen compassionate presence gathers like a luminous cloud, hinting at Śiva’s approach.

Characters & Entities

• Śūlin (Śiva)
• Maheśvara (Śiva)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

When devotion is sustained through tapas and pūjā, Śiva’s compassion naturally responds.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa-kṣetra, where intense austerity and Śiva worship are portrayed as especially efficacious.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Śiva-pūjā (worship of Śūlin) along with ugra tapas (intense austerities).