Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 38

Devanagari script

किं नु तप्तं तपो घोरं किं वा दत्तं मया पुरा । किं वार्चनं कृतं शंभोः पूर्वजन्मशतांतरे

Transliteration

kiṃ nu taptaṃ tapo ghoraṃ kiṃ vā dattaṃ mayā purā | kiṃ vārcanaṃ kṛtaṃ śaṃbhoḥ pūrvajanmaśatāṃtare

Translation

ഞാൻ മുമ്പ് എന്ത് കഠിനമായ തപസ്സാണ് ചെയ്തത്? അല്ലെങ്കിൽ എന്ത് ദാനമാണ് നൽകിയത്? നൂറുകണക്കിന് മുൻജന്മങ്ങളിൽ ഞാൻ ശംഭുവിനെ എപ്രകാരമാണ് ആരാധിച്ചത്?

Word by Word

• kim: what
• kim: Avyaya (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: kim (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: प्रश्न-निपात (interrogative particle)

• nu: indeed/then
• nu: Avyaya (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: nu (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रश्न/अनुशङ्का-निपात (interrogative particle)

• taptam: performed (austerity)
• taptam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Verb
• Root: tap (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘performed/austerity done’

• tapaḥ: austerity
• tapaḥ: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tapas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन

• ghoram: terrible/fierce
• ghoram: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ghora (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; विशेषण

• kim: what
• kim: Avyaya (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: kim (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: प्रश्न-निपात (interrogative particle)

• vā: or
• vā: Avyaya (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vā (अव्यय)
• Form: विकल्पार्थक-अव्यय (disjunctive particle)

• dattam: given (in charity)
• dattam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Verb
• Root: dā (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘given/donated’

• mayā: by me
• mayā: Karta (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तमपुरुष-सर्वनाम, तृतीया (3rd), एकवचन

• purā: formerly
• purā: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: purā (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (formerly)

• kim: what
• kim: Avyaya (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: kim (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: प्रश्न-निपात (interrogative particle)

• vā: or
• vā: Avyaya (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vā (अव्यय)
• Form: विकल्पार्थक-अव्यय (or)

• arcanam: worship
• arcanam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: arcana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन

• kṛtam: done
• kṛtam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kṛ (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘done’

• śaṃbhoḥ: of Śambhu (Śiva)
• śaṃbhoḥ: Shashthi-sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śaṃbhu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), एकवचन

• pūrva-janma-śata-antare: in (some) hundred(s) of previous births
• pūrva-janma-śata-antare: Adhikaraṇa (Locative context/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pūrva (प्रातिपदिक) + janman (प्रातिपदिक) + śata (प्रातिपदिक) + antara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (पूर्वेषु जन्मशतेषु अन्तरे = in the interval/within hundreds of previous births)

Speaker

Śabarī (Śabara’s wife)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The devotee looks inward in awe, palms open in questioning gratitude; faint vignettes of past-life acts—giving alms, performing tapas, offering flowers to a liṅga—appear like translucent panels around her.

Characters & Entities

• Śambhu (Śiva)
• Śabarī

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Opportunities for deep devotion are seen as the fruit of past merit—tapas, dāna, and worship carried across lifetimes.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No tīrtha is named in this verse; the emphasis is on karmic merit and Śiva worship.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Arcanā (worship) of Śambhu is referenced, along with the merit of tapas (austerity) and dāna (charity).