Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 28

Devanagari script

तपस्तप्तुमनुज्ञा मे दातव्या पर्वताधिप । अनुज्ञया विना किंचित्तपः कर्तुं न पार्यते

Transliteration

tapastaptumanujñā me dātavyā parvatādhipa | anujñayā vinā kiṃcittapaḥ kartuṃ na pāryate

Translation

ഹേ പർവതാധിപാ! തപസ്സു ചെയ്യാൻ എനിക്ക് അനുമതി നൽകണം; അനുമതിയില്ലാതെ അല്പം തപസ്സും സാധ്യമല്ല.

Word by Word

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

• taptum: to perform (austerity)
• taptum: Prayojana (Purpose/प्रयोजन)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √tap (धातु) + तुमुन् (कृत्)
• Form: तुमुनन्त (infinitive), अर्थः—‘तपितुम्’ (to perform austerity)

• anujñā: permission
• anujñā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: anujñā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/कर्ता), एकवचन

• me: my
• me: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (6th/सम्बन्ध), एकवचन; एन्क्लिटिक रूप

• dātavyā: must be given
• dātavyā: Kriya (Predicate necessity/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √dā (धातु) + तव्यत् (कृत्)
• Form: तव्यत्-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (gerundive), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; ‘अनुज्ञा’ इत्यस्य विशेषणम्; अर्थः—‘देया/दातव्या’ (must be given)

• parvata-adhipa: O lord of mountains
• parvata-adhipa: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: parvata (प्रातिपदिक) + adhipa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative/सम्बोधन), एकवचन; समासः—षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (पर्वतानाम् अधिपः)

• anujñayā: with permission
• anujñayā: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: anujñā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/करण), एकवचन

• vinā: without
• vinā: Apadana (Separation/अपादान)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vinā (अव्यय)
• Form: अपादानार्थक-अव्यय/उपसर्गसदृश (preposition-like indeclinable: without)

• kiṃcit: anything
• kiṃcit: Karma (Object qualifier/कर्म)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: kiṃcit (अव्यय/सर्वनाम)
• Form: परिमाणवाचक-अव्यय (indefinite: anything/a little)

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

• kartum: to do
• kartum: Prayojana (Purpose/प्रयोजन)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √kṛ (धातु) + तुमुन् (कृत्)
• Form: तुमुनन्त (infinitive), अर्थः—‘कर्तुम्’ (to do)

• na: not
• na: Sambandha (Negation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-निपात (negation particle)

• pāryate: is possible/can be done
• pāryate: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √pṛ (धातु; पार्/पॄ)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; आत्मनेपद; कर्मणि-प्रयोगसदृश अर्थः—‘शक्यते’ (is possible)

Speaker

Girijā (Pārvatī) (addressing Himavān; deduced from 'parvatādhipa')

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kedāra/Himālaya tapas-bhūmi (contextual)

Type: peak

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Ṛṣis/assembly (contextual)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Pārvatī requests permission from the Lord of mountains to perform austerity, emphasizing humility and proper order; the mountain-king is a dignified presence.

Characters & Entities

• Parvatādhipa (Himavān)
• Tapas
• Anujñā (permission)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Even spiritual practices like tapas should be undertaken with proper consent and dharmic order, not impulsively.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse belongs to Kedārakhaṇḍa’s Himalayan milieu, reinforcing the sanctity of the Himālaya–Kedāra region.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A procedural rule: tapas should be performed only after receiving anujñā (authorization/permission).