Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 11

Devanagari script

स्थित्वैकत्र तपस्यंतमनेकशतवत्सरान् । तमाचकाम वल्मीकं छादितांगं चकार च

Transliteration

sthitvaikatra tapasyaṃtamanekaśatavatsarān | tamācakāma valmīkaṃ chāditāṃgaṃ cakāra ca

Translation

เมื่อท่านอยู่ ณ ที่เดียวบำเพ็ญตบะตลอดหลายร้อยปี จอมปลวกก็ก่อตัวขึ้นคลุมกายและปกปิดอวัยวะของท่าน

Word by Word

• स्थित्वा: having stood
• स्थित्वा: Purvakala-kriya (Gerundial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: √स्था (धातु) + त्वा (क्त्वान्त)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्यय (gerund); पूर्वकालिक क्रिया—‘having stood’

• एकत्र: in one place
• एकत्र: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एकत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (in one place)

• तपस्यन्तम्: performing austerity
• तपस्यन्तम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: √तपस्/तपस्य (धातु) + शतृ (कृदन्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; वर्तमानकालिक शतृ—‘doing penance’

• अनेकशतवत्सरान्: for many hundreds of years
• अनेकशतवत्सरान्: Kala-adhikarana (Temporal extent)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अनेक + शत + वत्सर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचन; समासः—अनेकानि शतानि वत्सराणि (तत्पुरुष/कर्मधारय-समुच्चयभावः)

• तम्: him
• तम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• आचकाम: desired; sought
• आचकाम: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ√कम् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect/परोक्षभूत), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद; अर्थः—‘desired/asked for’

• वल्मीकम्: an anthill
• वल्मीकम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वल्मीक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• छादिताङ्गम्: with limbs covered
• छादिताङ्गम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: छादित (√छद् + क्त, कृदन्त) + अङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; समासः—छादितम् अङ्गम् यस्य (बहुव्रीह्यर्थे)

• चकार: made
• चकार: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √कृ (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect/परोक्षभूत), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• च: and
• च: Conjunction
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयार्थक निपात (conjunction)

Speaker

Deductive: Skanda (narrating Setu Māhātmya)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Seasons pass; an anthill gradually rises around the motionless sage until it covers his limbs; vines and moss suggest long duration.

Characters & Entities

• Valmīka (anthill)
• Muni

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Long, uninterrupted tapas transcends bodily concerns; devotion persists even as nature overtakes the body.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Setu Māhātmya’s sacred geography—the Setu region associated with pilgrimage merit.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; the verse illustrates continuous austerity (tapas) over vast time.