Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 12

Devanagari script

कोपीह नेदृश चक्रे तपः परमदारुणम् । अस्थिचर्मावशेषोऽसौ यावत्तिष्ठति भारत

Transliteration

kopīha nedṛśa cakre tapaḥ paramadāruṇam | asthicarmāvaśeṣo'sau yāvattiṣṭhati bhārata

Translation

اے بھارت! کہیں کسی نے ایسی نہایت ہولناک تپسیا نہیں کی۔ وہ جب تک ثابت قدم کھڑا رہا، محض ہڈی اور چمڑی کا ڈھانچا بن کر رہ گیا۔

Word by Word

• को: who
• को: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; interrogative pronoun

• अपि: even/indeed
• अपि: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात (particle: even/also)

• इह: here
• इह: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इह (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (adverb: here/in this world)

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Negation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निषेध (negation particle)

• ईदृशम्: such (a thing)
• ईदृशम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ईदृश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन; demonstrative adjective

• चक्रे: did/performed
• चक्रे: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (परोक्षभूत/परफेक्ट), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

• तपः: austerity
• तपः: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तपस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन

• परमदारुणम्: extremely dreadful
• परमदारुणम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: परम (प्रातिपदिक) + दारुण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन; 'परमं दारुणम्'

• अस्थिचर्मावशेषः: (one who is) only bones and skin
• अस्थिचर्मावशेषः: Karta-samānādhikaraṇa (Subject complement/कर्तृसमानााधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अस्थि (प्रातिपदिक) + चर्म (प्रातिपदिक) + अवशेष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; 'अस्थि-चर्मणोः अवशेषः' (genitive-tatpurusha; residual of bones and skin)

• असौ: that man/he
• असौ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अदस् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; demonstrative pronoun

• यावत्: as long as/until
• यावत्: Sambandha (Temporal marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यावत् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधिक/कालवाचक (until/as long as)

• तिष्ठति: stands/remains
• तिष्ठति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्था (धातु)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• भारत: O Bhārata
• भारत: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भारत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8), एकवचन; vocative address

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Bhārata/King

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A stark image of an ascetic standing or seated immobile, body emaciated to bone and skin, eyes inward, surrounded by stillness; the environment feels reverent and severe.

Characters & Entities

• Bhārata (addressee)
• Andhaka (implied)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Austerity can reach extremes that strip the body to its limits; the Purāṇic warning is to anchor such power in dharma and devotion rather than ego.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse continues the Revā-bank tapas narrative that culminates in the Śūlabheda-tīrtha account.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No new prescription; it emphasizes the severity and duration of tapas already described.