Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 39

Devanagari script

तपस्तप्तं पुरा यत्र वसिष्ठेन समाश्रितात् । तस्माद्वटवनात्पुण्यादुदुम्बरवनं गता । मेरुपादे च तत्रैव तण्डिर्यत्रा तपत्तपः

Transliteration

tapastaptaṃ purā yatra vasiṣṭhena samāśritāt | tasmādvaṭavanātpuṇyādudumbaravanaṃ gatā | merupāde ca tatraiva taṇḍiryatrā tapattapaḥ

Translation

在那里，古时婆悉吒（Vasiṣṭha）曾安住其间，修行苦行（tapas）。从这功德殊胜的瓦塔瓦那（Vaṭavana）出发，她前往优昙婆罗林（Udumbara-vana）。而就在梅鲁帕达，同有一处是檀ḍि（Taṇḍi）修持其苦行之地。

Word by Word

• तपः: austerity
• तपः: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तपस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन — Neuter, Nominative/Accusative singular (here object of तप्तम्)

• तप्तम्: performed (lit. heated)
• तप्तम्: Kriya (Predicate within relative clause/क्रिया)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तप् (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त भूतकृदन्त (PPP); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन — Neuter, Nom/Acc singular (agreeing with तपः)

• पुरा: formerly
• पुरा: Kriya-visheshana (Temporal adverb/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुरा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (कालवाचक) — adverb ‘formerly’

• यत्र: where
• यत्र: Adhikarana (Locative setting/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (सम्बन्ध/स्थानवाचक) — relative adverb ‘where’

• वसिष्ठेन: by Vasiṣṭha
• वसिष्ठेन: Kartr-karana (Agent in passive/कर्तृ-करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वसिष्ठ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन — Masculine, Instrumental singular

• समाश्रितात्: from the place resorted to
• समाश्रितात्: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सम् + आ + श्रि (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त भूतकृदन्त; नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी, एकवचन — Neuter, Ablative singular (qualifying implied स्थानात्/वनात्)

• तस्मात्: from that
• तस्मात्: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पञ्चमी, एकवचन — Ablative singular (pronoun)

• वटवनात्: from the banyan-grove
• वटवनात्: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वटवन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास; नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी, एकवचन — Neuter, Ablative singular

• पुण्यात्: holy
• पुण्यात्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पुण्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी, एकवचन — Neuter, Ablative singular (qualifying वटवनात्)

• उदुम्बरवनम्: the udumbara (cluster-fig) grove
• उदुम्बरवनम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: उदुम्बर (प्रातिपदिक) + वन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (उदुम्बराणां वनम्); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन — Neuter, Accusative singular

• गता: went
• गता: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम् (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त भूतकृदन्त (PPP) used predicatively; स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — Feminine, Nominative singular

• मेरुपादे: in Merupāda
• मेरुपादे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मेरुपाद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास; पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन — Masculine, Locative singular

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Connector/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (समुच्चयबोधक) — conjunction

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Locative setting/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (स्थानवाचक) — adverb of place

• एव: indeed
• एव: Niyamaka (Emphasis/अवधारण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (अवधारण) — emphatic particle

• तण्डिः: Taṇḍi (sage)
• तण्डिः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तण्डि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — Masculine, Nominative singular

• यत्र: where
• यत्र: Adhikarana (Locative setting/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (सम्बन्ध/स्थानवाचक) — relative adverb ‘where’

• तपत्: performing (austerity)
• तपत्: Karta (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तप् (धातु) + शतृ (कृदन्त)
• Form: शतृ-प्रत्ययान्त वर्तमानकृदन्त (present active participle); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — Masculine, Nominative singular (agreeing with तण्डिः)

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

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Vaṭavana; Udumbara-vana; Taṇḍi-tapas-sthāna (Merupāda)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A sacred banyan grove where Vasiṣṭha once performed austerities; Sarasvatī moves onward to an udumbara grove; nearby, a marked spot at Merupāda commemorates Taṇḍi’s intense tapas.

Characters & Entities

• Vasiṣṭha
• Vaṭavana
• Udumbaravana
• Merupāda
• Taṇḍi

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Holy places gain enduring sanctity through the tapas of great ṛṣis, making the landscape itself a treasury of merit.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Vaṭavana and Udumbaravana, with Merupāda noted as a tapas-site associated with Taṇḍi.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No direct prescription is stated; the verse emphasizes the sanctifying power of austerities performed at these sites.