Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 8

Devanagari script

तस्य कालेन महता तीव्रे तपसि वर्ततः । तमाश्रममनुप्राप्ता दस्यवो लोप्त्रहारिणः

Transliteration

tasya kālena mahatā tīvre tapasi vartataḥ | tamāśramamanuprāptā dasyavo loptrahāriṇaḥ

Translation

അദ്ദേഹം ദീർഘകാലം കഠിന തപസ്സിൽ ഏർപ്പെട്ടിരിക്കുമ്പോൾ, കൊള്ളയടിച്ച വസ്തുക്കൾ മോഷ്ടിച്ച ദസ്യുക്കൾ ആ ആശ്രമത്തിലെത്തി।

Word by Word

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

• कालेन: with/by time
• कालेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), एकवचन

• महता: great (long)
• महता: Visheshana (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifying कालेन)

• तीव्रे: intense
• तीव्रे: Visheshana (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तीव्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifying तपसि)

• तपसि: in austerity
• तपसि: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तपस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• वर्ततः: while (he) was engaged / continued
• वर्ततः: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वृत् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; आत्मनेपद; वर्तमानकाले (while he is engaged)

• तम्: that
• तम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• आश्रमम्: hermitage
• आश्रमम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आश्रम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• अनुप्राप्ताः: having arrived
• अनुप्राप्ताः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अनु-प्र-आप् (धातु) + क्त (प्रत्यय)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle/क्त), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन (Plural)

• दस्यवः: robbers
• दस्यवः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दस्यु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• लोप्त्रहारिणः: stealers of the (sacrificial) ladle
• लोप्त्रहारिणः: Visheshana (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: लोप्त्र + हारिन् (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; हारिन्-प्रत्ययान्त (agent noun)

Speaker

Deductive: Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) narrating

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Aśoka-āśrama (Revā region)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Yudhiṣṭhira

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Robbers carrying stolen valuables arrive at the hermitage while Māṇḍavya continues severe austerity, unmoved.

Characters & Entities

• āśrama
• dasyu (bandits)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Even holy places may be approached by the unrighteous; dharma is tested when adharma comes near tapas.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Revā (Narmadā) sacred region is the overarching tirtha-context; the immediate locus is a hermitage within it.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly; the verse continues the theme of sustained tapas.