Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 3

Devanagari script

तपस्तेपे महादेवि शिवभक्तिपरायणः । तस्यैवं तप्यमानस्य तस्मिन्देशे वरानने

Transliteration

tapastepe mahādevi śivabhaktiparāyaṇaḥ | tasyaivaṃ tapyamānasya tasmindeśe varānane

Translation

اے مہادیوی، وہ شِو بھکتی میں سراپا منہمک ہو کر تپسیا کرتا رہا۔ اے خوش رُو، جب وہ اس دیس میں یوں ریاضت میں مشغول تھا—

Word by Word

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

• tepe: performed (penance)
• tepe: Kriya (Action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: tap (तप् धातु)
• Form: लिट् (परोक्षभूत/Perfect), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• mahādevi: O great goddess
• mahādevi: Sambodhana (Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahādevī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचन

• śiva-bhakti-parāyaṇaḥ: devoted to devotion to Śiva
• śiva-bhakti-parāyaṇaḥ: Karta (Qualifier of subject)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śiva (प्रातिपदिक) + bhakti (प्रातिपदिक) + parāyaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (शिवे भक्तिः यस्य/शिवभक्तौ परायणः), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• tasya: of him
• tasya: Sambandha (Genitive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, षष्ठी, एकवचन

• evam: thus/in this way
• evam: Kriya-vishesana (Manner)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: evam (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (प्रकारवाचक)

• tapyamānasya: while he was performing austerities
• tapyamānasya: Sambandha (Genitive absolute-like)
• Type: Verb
• Root: tap (तप् धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त (शानच्/वर्तमानकाले कर्मणि/आत्मनेपदी भाव), षष्ठी, एकवचन; ‘तप्यमान’ = doing penance/being engaged in austerity

• tasmin: in that
• tasmin: Adhikarana (Location)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, सप्तमी, एकवचन

• deśe: place/region
• deśe: Adhikarana (Location)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन

• varānane: O fair-faced one
• varānane: Sambodhana (Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: varānanā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचन

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Taṇḍī-tapas-sthāna on Devikā-taṭa (Prabhāsa)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Mahādevī (Pārvatī)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Ascetic Taṇḍī seated in deep meditation on Devikā’s bank, matted hair, rudrākṣa beads, a small Śiva-liṅga or bilva tree nearby; the atmosphere is charged with tapas heat (tejas) yet serene; Śiva and Devī appear as subtle witnessing presences.

Characters & Entities

• Mahādevī (Pārvatī)
• Śiva
• Taṇḍī (implied)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Devotion to Śiva expressed through tapas sanctifies a place and becomes the seed of tīrtha-mahātmya.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Devikā riverbank region in Prabhāsakṣetra, connected with Taṇḍī’s penance.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Tapas (austerity) grounded in Śiva-bhakti is praised, though no specific vow details are given in this half-verse.