Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 38

Devanagari script

तपस्विनां परीक्षायै यदृषीणां विहिंसनम् । कृतं तेन तदा विप्रा रावणेन तपस्विना

Transliteration

tapasvināṃ parīkṣāyai yadṛṣīṇāṃ vihiṃsanam | kṛtaṃ tena tadā viprā rāvaṇena tapasvinā

Translation

โอ้พราหมณ์ทั้งหลาย การเบียดเบียนใดๆ ที่เขากระทำต่อเหล่าฤๅษีในครั้งนั้น กระทำโดยราวณะผู้บำเพ็ญตบะ เพื่อเป็น ‘การทดสอบ’ ตบะของนักบวชผู้ศักดิ์สิทธิ์

Word by Word

• तपस्विनाम्: of ascetics
• तपस्विनाम्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तपस्विन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; Genitive, Plural

• परीक्षायै: for the testing
• परीक्षायै: Sampradana (Purpose/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: परीक्षा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी-विभक्ति (सम्प्रदान/प्रयोजन), एकवचन; Dative (4th), Singular

• यत्: which
• यत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; relative pronoun; Neuter, Nom./Acc., Singular

• ऋषीणाम्: of sages
• ऋषीणाम्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ऋषि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; Genitive, Plural

• विहिंसनम्: injury, harming
• विहिंसनम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वि-हिंसन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; verbal noun/action noun; Neuter, Nom./Acc., Singular

• कृतम्: done, committed
• कृतम्: Kriya (Result-state/क्रिया)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; agrees with 'विहिंसनम्'; Neuter, Nom./Acc., Singular

• तेन: by him
• तेन: Karana (Agent-instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंस, तृतीया-विभक्ति (करण/कर्ता), एकवचन; Instrumental, Singular

• तदा: then
• तदा: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तदा (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय; temporal adverb

• विप्राः: O brāhmaṇas / the brāhmaṇas
• विप्राः: Sambodhana/Karta (Address or subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विप्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; संबोधनार्थे अपि प्रयोगः सम्भवति; Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• रावणेन: by Rāvaṇa
• रावणेन: Karana (Agent/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रावण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (करण/कर्ता), एकवचन; Instrumental, Singular

• तपस्विना: by the ascetic
• तपस्विना: Karana (Apposition/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तपस्विन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (करण), एकवचन; appositional to 'रावणेन'; Instrumental, Singular

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) to the sages (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kedāra (ethical frame for pilgrims)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Viprāḥ/Brāhmaṇas explicitly addressed in verse

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Rāvaṇa, though an ascetic by practice, injures sages under the pretext of ‘testing’ them; the scene carries moral gravity—sages in distress, dharma violated.

Characters & Entities

• Rāvaṇa
• Ṛṣis
• Vipras (brāhmaṇas)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Austerity without compassion can become a pretext for adharma; true tapas protects, it does not harm.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kedārakhaṇḍa’s broader setting is the Kedāra region, but this verse focuses on conduct toward sages rather than a particular tīrtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; the verse narrates an ethical issue (violence justified as ‘testing’).