Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 17

Devanagari script

अनुत्तरं नाम तपो येन तप्तं हि तत्पुरा । त्रीणिवर्षसहस्राणि दिव्यानीतीह नौ श्रुतम्

Transliteration

anuttaraṃ nāma tapo yena taptaṃ hi tatpurā | trīṇivarṣasahasrāṇi divyānītīha nau śrutam

Translation

往昔他修行名为“无上（Anuttara）”的苦行；历经三千天年，他持守此等禅苦——我们在此如是听闻。

Word by Word

• anuttaram: unsurpassed
• anuttaram: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: anuttara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular); विशेषण

• nāma: named, called
• nāma: Sambandha (Appositive marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: nāma (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; नाम-शब्दः (quotative/particle ‘called/namely’)

• tapaḥ: austerity
• tapaḥ: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tapas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular)

• yena: by which
• yena: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), एकवचन (Singular); सम्बन्ध-सर्वनाम

• taptam: was performed (austerity was done)
• taptam: Kriya (Predicate participle/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: tap (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्यय (past passive participle); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (Nom/Acc), एकवचन (Singular)

• hi: indeed
• hi: Discourse particle (Nipāta/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: hi (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (emphatic particle)

• tat: that (austerity)
• tat: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (Nom/Acc), एकवचन (Singular); सर्वनाम

• purā: formerly
• purā: Kāla (Time/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: purā (अव्यय)
• Form: काल-अव्यय (temporal adverb)

• trīṇi: three
• trīṇi: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tri (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (Nom/Acc), बहुवचन (Plural); संख्या-विशेषण

• varṣasahasrāṇi: thousands of years
• varṣasahasrāṇi: Kāla (Duration/काल)
• Type: Noun
• Root: varṣa + sahasra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (Nom/Acc), बहुवचन (Plural)

• divyāni: divine
• divyāni: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: divya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (Nom/Acc), बहुवचन (Plural); विशेषण

• iti: thus
• iti: Discourse particle (Nipāta/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iti (अव्यय)
• Form: उद्धरण-निपात (quotative particle)

• iha: here
• iha: Deśa (Place/देश)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iha (अव्यय)
• Form: देश-अव्यय (locative adverb)

• nau: of us two / to us two
• nau: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/6th) द्विवचन (Dual) / वैकल्पिकं: चतुर्थी (Dative/4th) द्विवचन; सर्वनाम

• śrutam: has been heard
• śrutam: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: śru (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्यय (past passive participle); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular); भावे प्रयोग (impersonal: ‘it is heard’)

Speaker

Viṣṇugaṇas

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī-kṣetra (contextual)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Śivaśarmā

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Atri performs the ‘Anuttara’ tapas for three thousand divine years—an image of unmoving ascetic concentration amid changing seasons and cosmic time.

Characters & Entities

• Atri
• tapas (Anuttara)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sustained tapas is portrayed as a cosmic force that yields extraordinary spiritual and celestial results.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No direct tīrtha; this is background to Somaloka lore within Kāśīkhaṇḍa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

An example of tapas (austerity) is described, not a public ritual prescription.