Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 22

Devanagari script

एतच्च तपसो मूलं तपसो मूलमेव तत् । सर्वदा कामविजयः संकल्पविजयस्तथा

Transliteration

etacca tapaso mūlaṃ tapaso mūlameva tat | sarvadā kāmavijayaḥ saṃkalpavijayastathā

Translation

Это и есть корень тапаса, подлинный корень тапаса: всегда — победа над желанием и также победа над колеблющимися решениями и намерениями.

Word by Word

• etat: this
• etat: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: etat (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; सर्वनाम (pronoun)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• tapasaḥ: of austerity
• tapasaḥ: Sambandha (Genitive/षष्ठी-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tapas (तपस्-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• mūlam: root, basis
• mūlam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mūla (मूल-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd Nom/Acc), एकवचन

• tapasaḥ: of austerity
• tapasaḥ: Sambandha (Genitive/षष्ठी-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tapas (तपस्-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• mūlam: root, basis
• mūlam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mūla (मूल-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd Nom/Acc), एकवचन

• eva: indeed, only
• eva: Sambandha (Emphasis/अवधारण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारणार्थक-अव्यय (emphatic particle)

• tat: that
• tat: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd Nom/Acc), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• sarvadā: always
• sarvadā: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sarvadā (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (adverb of time)

• kāma-vijayaḥ: conquest of desire
• kāma-vijayaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kāma (काम-प्रातिपदिक) + vijaya (विजय-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (kāmasya vijayaḥ)

• saṃkalpa-vijayaḥ: conquest of resolve/thought
• saṃkalpa-vijayaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: saṃkalpa (संकल्प-प्रातिपदिक) + vijaya (विजय-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (saṃkalpasya vijayaḥ)

• tathā: likewise
• tathā: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tathā (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय/उपमानार्थक-अव्यय (adverb: likewise/so)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced from Nāgarakhaṇḍa Tīrthamāhātmya didactic context)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A banyan tree labeled ‘tapas’ shows two visible roots: one labeled ‘kāma-vijaya’ and the other ‘saṅkalpa-vijaya’; a pilgrim waters the roots with a pot labeled ‘abhyāsa’.

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

True tapas is grounded in inner victory—over craving and over unstable or self-indulgent intentions.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No named location appears in this verse; it provides the inner-method that makes tīrtha-related vows fruitful.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

The verse prescribes mental discipline as integral to vrata—maintaining firm saṃkalpa and restraining kāma.