Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 2

Devanagari script

तत्र कृत्वाऽश्रमं श्रेष्ठं तपस्तेपे सुदारुणम् । यत्प्रभावादयं देवस्तस्मिंल्लिङ्गे व्यवस्थितः

Transliteration

tatra kṛtvā'śramaṃ śreṣṭhaṃ tapastepe sudāruṇam | yatprabhāvādayaṃ devastasmiṃlliṅge vyavasthitaḥ

Translation

അവിടെ ശ്രേഷ്ഠമായ ആശ്രമം പണിത ശേഷം അദ്ദേഹം അത്യന്തം കഠിനമായ തപസ്സു ചെയ്തു; ആ തപോപ്രഭാവത്താൽ ഈ ദേവൻ ആ ലിംഗത്തിൽ പ്രതിഷ്ഠിതനായി വസിക്കുന്നു.

Word by Word

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्ययम् (locative adverb)

• कृत्वा: having made
• कृत्वा: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्तं अव्ययकृदन्तम् (Gerund/Absolutive)

• आश्रमम्: hermitage
• आश्रमम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आश्रम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, द्वितीया-विभक्तिः (Accusative/2nd), एकवचनम्

• श्रेष्ठम्: excellent
• श्रेष्ठम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: श्रेष्ठ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, द्वितीया-विभक्तिः (Accusative/2nd), एकवचनम्; ‘आश्रमम्’ इति विशेषणम्

• तपः: austerity
• तपः: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तपस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, द्वितीया-विभक्तिः (Accusative/2nd), एकवचनम्; कर्मरूपेण

• तेपे: performed (austerity)
• तेपे: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: तप् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकारः (Perfect), आत्मनेपदम्, प्रथमपुरुषः (3rd), एकवचनम्

• सु-दरुणम्: very severe
• सु-दरुणम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सु (अव्यय/उपसर्ग) + दरुण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, द्वितीया-विभक्तिः (Accusative/2nd), एकवचनम्; ‘तपः’ इति विशेषणम्; समासः—कर्मधारयः

• यत्-प्रभावात्: due to whose power
• यत्-प्रभावात्: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + प्रभाव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, पञ्चमी-विभक्तिः (Ablative/5th), एकवचनम्; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (यस्य प्रभावः)

• अयम्: this
• अयम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः (Nominative/1st), एकवचनम्

• देवः: god (the deity)
• देवः: Karta (Subject complement/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः (Nominative/1st), एकवचनम्

• तस्मिन्: in that
• तस्मिन्: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे/पुंलिङ्गे, सप्तमी-विभक्तिः (Locative/7th), एकवचनम्

• लिङ्गे: in the liṅga
• लिङ्गे: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लिङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, सप्तमी-विभक्तिः (Locative/7th), एकवचनम्

• व्यवस्थितः: is established/abides
• व्यवस्थितः: Karta-visheshana (Subject qualifier/कर्तृविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वि + अव + स्था (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्तं भूतकर्मणि/कर्तरि कृदन्तम् (past participle, ‘being established’); पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; ‘देवः’ इति विशेष्यः

Speaker

Narrative context (continuation of Sūta’s narration)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Dhundhumāreśvara

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Ṛṣis at Naimiṣāraṇya (contextual)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Dhundhumāra in an austere hermitage, performing severe tapas—standing in meditation, surrounded by sacred trees; the liṅga nearby radiates, indicating the deity’s established presence.

Characters & Entities

• Liṅga
• Deva (Śiva)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Severe tapas sanctifies a place and is presented as the spiritual force by which the deity’s presence becomes firmly manifest in a liṅga.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The locale of the liṅga installed by Dhundhumāra—later praised as Dhundhumāreśvara.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Establishing an āśrama and undertaking intense tapas as a sacred discipline.