Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 117

Devanagari script

पूर्वमुक्तानि तीर्थानि यानि ते सुरसुंदरि । तिस्रः कोट्योऽर्द्धकोटी च ब्रह्मांडे सचराचरे

Transliteration

pūrvamuktāni tīrthāni yāni te surasuṃdari | tisraḥ koṭyo'rddhakoṭī ca brahmāṃḍe sacarācare

Translation

হে সুরসুন্দরী! আমি পূর্বে তোমাকে যে তীর্থগুলির কথা বলেছি, এই চল-অচল ব্রহ্মাণ্ডে সেগুলি তিন কোটি এবং আরও অর্ধকোটি।

Word by Word

• पूर्व: former, previously
• पूर्व: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पूर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, बहुवचनम्; विशेषणम् (neuter, nominative/accusative plural; adjective)

• मुक्तानि: said/uttered
• मुक्तानि: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मुच् (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त प्रत्यय)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्तम् (क्त-प्रत्ययान्त), नपुंसकलिङ्गे, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, बहुवचनम्; विशेषणम् (past passive participle; neuter nom/acc pl)

• तीर्थानि: holy places, tīrthas
• तीर्थानि: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, बहुवचनम् (neuter, nominative/accusative plural)

• यानि: which
• यानि: Sambandha (Relative/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, बहुवचनम्; सम्बन्धसूचकं सर्वनाम (relative pronoun; neuter nom/acc pl)

• ते: of you/your
• ते: Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी, एकवचनम्; सर्वनाम (genitive singular; pronoun)

• सुरसुंदरि: O beautiful one among the gods
• सुरसुंदरि: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सुर + सुन्दरी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे, सम्बोधन, एकवचनम्; तत्पुरुषसमासः (सुराणां सुन्दरी) (feminine vocative singular; tatpurusha compound)

• तिस्रः: three
• तिस्रः: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: त्रि (संख्याप्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे, प्रथमा, बहुवचनम्; संख्याविशेषणम् (feminine nominative plural; numeral adjective)

• कोट्यः: crores
• कोट्यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कोटि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे, प्रथमा, बहुवचनम् (feminine nominative plural)

• अर्द्धकोटी: half a crore
• अर्द्धकोटी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अर्द्ध + कोटि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्; कर्मधारयसमासः (अर्द्धा कोटिः) (feminine nominative singular; karmadharaya)

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Connector/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-अव्ययम् (conjunction)

• ब्रह्माण्डे: in the universe (Brahmāṇḍa)
• ब्रह्माण्डे: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्माण्ड (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, सप्तमी, एकवचनम्; तत्पुरुषसमासः (ब्रह्मणः अण्डम्) (neuter locative singular; tatpurusha)

• सचराचरे: with moving and unmoving beings
• सचराचरे: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स + चर + अचर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, सप्तमी, एकवचनम्; द्वन्द्वसमासः (चराः च अचराः च) (neuter locative singular; dvandva)

Speaker

Śiva (Īśvara)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: All tīrthas (collective)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Devī (Pārvatī)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A visionary sense of innumerable tīrthas spread across the moving and unmoving universe—rivers, confluences, mountains, forests—evoked as Śiva speaks to Devī.

Characters & Entities

• Devī
• Tīrthas
• Brahmāṇḍa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pilgrimage is framed as a vast sacred network pervading the cosmos, indicating dharma’s universality.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse sets the scale of tīrthas generally, leading toward the special status of Prabhāsa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly; it provides a doctrinal count and cosmic context.