Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 14

Devanagari script

वर्द्धन्युवाच । तपसैव त्वया धर्म भयभीतो दिवस्पतिः । तेनाहं नोदिता चात्र तपोवि घ्नस्य कांक्षया

Transliteration

varddhanyuvāca | tapasaiva tvayā dharma bhayabhīto divaspatiḥ | tenāhaṃ noditā cātra tapovi ghnasya kāṃkṣayā

Translation

ವರ್ಧ್ಧನೀ ಹೇಳಿದರು—ಹೇ ಧರ್ಮಾ! ನಿನ್ನ ತಪಸ್ಸಿನಿಂದ ಸ್ವರ್ಗಾಧಿಪತಿ ಇಂದ್ರನು ಭಯಗೊಂಡಿದ್ದಾನೆ. ಆದ್ದರಿಂದ ಅವನ ಪ್ರೇರಣೆಯಿಂದಲೇ ನಾನು ಇಲ್ಲಿ ಬಂದೆನು; ನಿನ್ನ ತಪಸ್ಸಿಗೆ ವಿಘ್ನ ಮಾಡಬೇಕೆಂದು ಇಚ್ಛಿಸಿದೆನು.

Word by Word

• वर्द्धनी: Varddhanī (name)
• वर्द्धनी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वर्द्धनी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• तपसा: by austerity
• तपसा: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तपस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), एकवचन

• एव: indeed/only
• एव: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (emphatic particle)

• त्वया: by you
• त्वया: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्वद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, तृतीया (3rd), एकवचन

• धर्म: O Dharma
• धर्म: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धर्म (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th), एकवचन

• भयभीतः: frightened
• भयभीतः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: भयभीत (कृदन्त; √भी)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; विशेषणम्

• दिवस्पतिः: lord of heaven (Indra)
• दिवस्पतिः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दिवस् + पति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (दिवसः/दिवः पतिः)

• तेन: therefore/by that
• तेन: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, तृतीया (3rd), एकवचन

• अहम्: I
• अहम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• नोदिता: not urged/ not prompted
• नोदिता: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: उद् + √द्/√दी? (कृदन्त; causative sense)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; न-उदिता (निषेधपूर्वक)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक अव्यय (conjunction)

• अत्र: here
• अत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक अव्यय (adverb of place)

• तपोविघ्नस्य: of the obstacle to austerity
• तपोविघ्नस्य: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तपस् + विघ्न (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (तपसः विघ्नः)

• काङ्क्षया: with desire/for the sake of desire
• काङ्क्षया: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काङ्क्षा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), एकवचन

Speaker

Varddhanī

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Dharmāraṇya

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Dharma (identified later with Yama/Dharmarāja)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: In a quiet forest hermitage, Dharma stands in austerity; Varddhanī approaches, confessing she has come to obstruct his tapas, with a faint aura of Indra’s anxiety behind her.

Characters & Entities

• Varddhanī
• Dharma
• Divaspati (Indra)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Austerity generates spiritual power that can provoke tests and opposition; steadfastness in Dharma is implied as the proper response to such obstacles.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The narrative unfolds in Dharmāraṇya, treated as a potent sacred environment where tapas bears great fruit and attracts cosmic attention.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Tapas is central, and the verse highlights the concept of tapas-vighna (obstruction to austerity), not a specific ritual procedure.