Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 14

Devanagari script

जगाम सुमहानादस्तपश्चक्रे सुदुष्करम् । तस्य वै तप्यमानस्य रक्षोवधकृतं तमः

Transliteration

jagāma sumahānādastapaścakre suduṣkaram | tasya vai tapyamānasya rakṣovadhakṛtaṃ tamaḥ

Translation

అతడు మహానాదం చేస్తూ వెళ్లి అత్యంత దుష్కరమైన తపస్సు ఆచరించెను. అతడు తపస్సు చేయుచుండగా రాక్షసవధముచేత కలిగిన తమస్సు శమించసాగెను।

Word by Word

• jagāma: went
• jagāma: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: gam (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (परोक्षभूत/Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• su-mahā-nādaḥ: a very great roar/sound
• su-mahā-nādaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: su (अव्यय) + mahā (प्रातिपदिक) + nāda (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; समासः = कर्मधारय (सु-महान् नादः)

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

• cakre: did/performed
• cakre: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kṛ (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (परोक्षभूत/Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपदम्

• su-duṣkaram: very difficult
• su-duṣkaram: Karma (Object qualifier/कर्म-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: su (अव्यय) + duṣkara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (तपः); समासः = कर्मधारय (सु-दुष्करम्)

• tasya: of him
• tasya: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• vai: indeed
• vai: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vai (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (निपात; अवधान/निश्चयार्थ) = indeed/for sure

• tapyamānasya: of (him) who was performing austerity / being engaged in penance
• tapyamānasya: Sambandha (Genitive qualifier/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tap (धातु)
• Form: वर्तमानकाले शानच्-प्रत्ययान्त (present passive participle) 'तप्यमान'; पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (तस्य)

• rakṣaḥ-vadha-kṛtam: caused by the slaying of a demon
• rakṣaḥ-vadha-kṛtam: Karta (Predicate adjective/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: rakṣas (प्रातिपदिक) + vadha (प्रातिपदिक) + kṛta (कृदन्त; कृ-धातु)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (तमः); क्त-प्रत्ययान्त 'कृत'; समासः = तत्पुरुष (रक्षोवधेन कृतम्)

• tamaḥ: darkness/gloom
• tamaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tamas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

Speaker

Narrator

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā (Narmadā) south-bank tīrtha

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: On the riverbank, Hanumān sits in fierce austerity—still as a mountain—while a shadowy ‘tamas’ cloud behind him thins and dissolves into light; the river flows steadily beside.

Characters & Entities

• Hanumān
• Rākṣasas

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Even when actions are dharmic, purification may be completed through tapas, presented as a means to dissolve lingering ‘tamas’ (taint).

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The setting continues at the Revā/Narmadā bank tīrtha where Hanumān undertakes austerity.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Tapas (austerity) as a purificatory practice, complementing tīrtha-snāna.