Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 5

Devanagari script

स ज्ञात्वा जनकं ध्वस्तं विष्णुना प्रभविष्णुना । तपस्तेपे ततस्तीव्रं गोकर्णं प्राप्य पर्वतम्

Transliteration

sa jñātvā janakaṃ dhvastaṃ viṣṇunā prabhaviṣṇunā | tapastepe tatastīvraṃ gokarṇaṃ prāpya parvatam

Translation

പ്രഭവിഷ്ണുവായ വിഷ്ണു തന്റെ പിതാവിനെ നശിപ്പിച്ചതായി അറിഞ്ഞപ്പോൾ, അവൻ ഗോകർണ്ണപർവതത്തിലെത്തി കഠിനതപസ്സു ചെയ്തു.

Word by Word

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• ज्ञात्वा: having known
• ज्ञात्वा: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ज्ञा (धातु) + त्वा (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (Gerund/Absolutive)

• जनकम्: (his) father/progenitor
• जनकम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जनक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular)

• ध्वस्तम्: destroyed
• ध्वस्तम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ध्वंस् (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (Past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular)

• विष्णुना: by Viṣṇu
• विष्णुना: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विष्णु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), एकवचन (Singular)

• प्रभविष्णुना: by the mighty/powerful (Viṣṇu)
• प्रभविष्णुना: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्र-भू (धातु) + विष्णु (प्रातिपदिक/विशेषण)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), एकवचन (Singular); कर्मधारय—प्रभविष्णु (अत्यन्त-समर्थः/प्रभावशालीः)

• तपः: austerity, penance
• तपः: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तपस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular)

• तेपे: performed (penance)
• तेपे: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: तप् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular), आत्मनेपद

• ततः: then, thereafter
• ततः: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb: from then/thereafter)

• तीव्रम्: intense
• तीव्रम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तीव्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular)

• गोकर्णम्: Gokarṇa (place)
• गोकर्णम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गो (प्रातिपदिक) + कर्ण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular); तत्पुरुष—गो-कर्ण (cow-ear; place-name)

• प्राप्य: having reached
• प्राप्य: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: प्र-आप् (धातु) + ल्यप् (कृदन्त)
• Form: ल्यबन्त-अव्यय (Gerund/Absolutive)

• पर्वतम्: mountain
• पर्वतम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पर्वत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular)

Speaker

Sūta

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Gokarṇa

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Ṛṣayaḥ

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Tāraka, grim and determined, journeys to the Gokarṇa mountain; the landscape shifts to a rugged sacred hill near the sea, with distant temple silhouettes and ascetics’ huts; he prepares for austerity after hearing of his father’s death by Viṣṇu.

Characters & Entities

• Tāraka
• Viṣṇu
• Gokarṇa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Even driven by grief and vengeance, beings turn to tapas at sacred places—showing the recognized potency of tīrthas to grant results.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Gokarṇa (the Gokarṇa mountain/region), a renowned Śaiva pilgrimage setting within this māhātmya.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Tapas (austerity) is indicated generally, without a specific vow or procedure in this verse.