Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 36

Devanagari script

तपस्तपन्तौ तौ तत्र ह्यद्यापि किल भारत । भ्रातरौ संयतात्मानौ ध्यायतः परमं पदम्

Transliteration

tapastapantau tau tatra hyadyāpi kila bhārata | bhrātarau saṃyatātmānau dhyāyataḥ paramaṃ padam

Translation

Wahai Bhārata, dua bersaudara itu dikatakan masih berada di sana hingga hari ini, menekuni tapa—berjiwa terkawal, serta bermeditasi pada kedudukan tertinggi (parama padaa).

Word by Word

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

• tapantau: performing (austerities)
• tapantau: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √tap (धातु) + śatṛ (शतृ)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), द्विवचन; वर्तमानकाले कृदन्त (शतृ) ‘तपन्त’—विधेय/कर्तृवाचक (performing austerity)

• tau: those two
• tau: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), द्विवचन; सर्वनाम

• tatra: there
• tatra: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatra (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक-अव्यय (locative adverb)

• hi: indeed/for
• hi: Discourse particle (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: hi (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; हेत्वर्थ/निश्चयार्थक-निपात

• adyāpi: even today/still
• adyāpi: Kāla-adhikaraṇa (Time/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: adya (अव्यय) + api (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक-अव्यय (even today/still now)

• kila: it is said
• kila: Discourse particle (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: kila (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रसिद्ध्यर्थ/श्रुत्यर्थक-निपात (it is said/indeed)

• bhārata: O Bhārata
• bhārata: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhārata (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative), एकवचन

• bhrātarau: two brothers
• bhrātarau: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhrātṛ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), द्विवचन

• saṃyata-ātmānau: self-controlled
• saṃyata-ātmānau: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: saṃyata (कृदन्त/प्रातिपदिक) + ātman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), द्विवचन; कर्मधारयः ‘संयत आत्मा’ (self-controlled) विशेषण (bhrātarau)

• dhyāyataḥ: meditating
• dhyāyataḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √dhyai (धातु) + śatṛ (शतृ)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), द्विवचन; वर्तमानकाले कृदन्त (शतृ) ‘ध्यायत्’ (meditating)

• paramam: supreme
• paramam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: parama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; विशेषण (पदम्)

• padam: state/abode
• padam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pada (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

Speaker

Sūta (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Tapas-sthāna of the two brothers (unnamed here) near Māṇḍavyeśvara

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Bhārata

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Two ascetic brothers sit in deep meditation beneath ancient trees near a quiet shrine/riverbank; their bodies still, faces luminous; the landscape suggests timelessness—‘even today’—with a subtle aura indicating continuous tapas.

Characters & Entities

• Bhārata (address)
• Two brothers (unnamed)
• Parama-pada

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

A tīrtha is not only a place of ritual but also a living seat of tapas and contemplation aimed at liberation (parama-pada).

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Revā Khaṇḍa setting connected with Māṇḍavyeśvara/Nārāyaṇa, depicted as an enduring ascetic center.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Tapas (austerity) and dhyāna (meditation) with self-restraint as recommended spiritual disciplines.