Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 14

Devanagari script

तपःस्वरूपाय तपोधनाय तपःफलानां प्रतिपादकाय । सदा कुमाराय हिमारमारिणे तणीकृतैश्वर्य विरागिणे नमः

Transliteration

tapaḥsvarūpāya tapodhanāya tapaḥphalānāṃ pratipādakāya | sadā kumārāya himāramāriṇe taṇīkṛtaiśvarya virāgiṇe namaḥ

Translation

നമസ്കാരം—തപസ്സുതന്നെ സ്വരൂപനായവനേ, തപോധനനേ, തപസ്സിന്റെ ഫലങ്ങൾ നൽകുന്നവനേ; സദാ കുമാരനേ; ഹിമാരശത്രുവേ; ഐശ്വര്യം തൃണമെന്നു കരുതുന്ന വൈരാഗ്യശീലനേ।

Word by Word

• तपःस्वरूपाय: to the very form of austerity
• तपःस्वरूपाय: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तपस् (प्रातिपदिक) + स्वरूप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (स्वरूप), चतुर्थी-विभक्ति (4th/Dative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (तपसः स्वरूपम्)

• तपोधनाय: to the one whose wealth is austerity
• तपोधनाय: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तपस् (प्रातिपदिक) + धन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी-विभक्ति (4th/Dative), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (तपः एव धनं यस्य)

• तपःफलानाम्: of the fruits of austerity
• तपःफलानाम्: Shashthi-sambandha (Genitive/षष्ठीसम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तपस् (प्रातिपदिक) + फल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन; तत्पुरुषः (तपसः फलानि)

• प्रतिपादकाय: to the bestower
• प्रतिपादकाय: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रति + पद् (धातु) → प्रतिपादक (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी-विभक्ति (4th/Dative), एकवचन; कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक (ण्वुल्/अक) ‘one who bestows/establishes’

• सदा: always
• सदा: Adverbial (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सदा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (क्रियाविशेषण/adverb), नित्यत्वे

• कुमाराय: to Kumāra
• कुमाराय: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कुमार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी-विभक्ति (4th/Dative), एकवचन

• हिमारमारिणे: to the slayer of the foe of cold (i.e., of heat/fever)
• हिमारमारिणे: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हिम (प्रातिपदिक) + अर (प्रातिपदिक) + मारिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी-विभक्ति (4th/Dative), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (हिम-अर-मारिन् = शीत-शत्रु-हन्ता इत्यर्थे)

• तणीकृतैश्वर्य: (to him) for whom sovereignty is made like straw
• तणीकृतैश्वर्य: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तणी (प्रातिपदिक) + कृत (कृदन्त, √कृ) + ऐश्वर्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; समासः (तणी-कृतम् ऐश्वर्यम् यस्य) ‘one for whom lordship is made straw’

• विरागिणे: to the dispassionate one
• विरागिणे: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वि + रागिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी-विभक्ति (4th/Dative), एकवचन; ‘विरागिन्’ = detached

• नमः: salutation
• नमः: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नमस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (निपात/particle), नमस्कारार्थे

Speaker

Agastya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī-kṣetra (vrata/tapas frame)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Skanda as ever-youthful ascetic-warrior: serene face, minimal adornment, spear resting, aura of heat-haze (tapas) around him; a discarded crown at his feet symbolizes aiśvarya made trivial; Agastya offers salutations in quiet reverence.

Characters & Entities

• Agastya
• Kārtikeya (Skanda)
• Himāra (epithet/entity)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Tapas yields spiritual fruit when guided by devotion, and true greatness is marked by detachment from worldly power.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Kāśī-khaṇḍa context supports Kāśī as a field where tapas, worship, and liberation-oriented dharma are praised.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No specific rite; the verse extols tapas (austerity) as a dharmic discipline.