Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 9

Devanagari script

तिस्रः कोट्योऽर्धकोटी च तीर्थानामिह भूतले । संख्यया नामतो देव मह्यं कीर्तय सांप्रतम्

Transliteration

tisraḥ koṭyo'rdhakoṭī ca tīrthānāmiha bhūtale | saṃkhyayā nāmato deva mahyaṃ kīrtaya sāṃpratam

Translation

„Auf dieser Erde gibt es drei Krore und einen halben Krore an Tīrthas. O Herr, verkünde sie mir jetzt—nach ihrer Zahl und nach ihren Namen.“

Word by Word

• tisraḥ: three
• tisraḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tri (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), बहुवचन; संख्यावाचक-विशेषण (numeral adjective)

• koṭyaḥ: crores
• koṭyaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: koṭi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• ardhakoṭī: a half-crore
• ardhakoṭī: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ardha (प्रातिपदिक) + koṭi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; षष्ठी/कर्मधारय-प्रायः तत्पुरुषः (half-crore)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (conjunction)

• tīrthānām: of sacred places (tīrthas)
• tīrthānām: Sambandha (Genitive/षष्ठी-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tīrtha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/6th), बहुवचन

• iha: here
• iha: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iha (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (adverb of place)

• bhūtale: on the earth
• bhūtale: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhūtala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन

• saṃkhyayā: by number; numerically
• saṃkhyayā: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: saṃkhyā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), एकवचन

• nāmataḥ: by name; name-wise
• nāmataḥ: Karaṇa (Manner/प्रकार-करण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: nāman (प्रातिपदिक) + tas (तसिल्-प्रत्यय)
• Form: तसिलन्त-अव्यय (ablatival adverb: 'by/according to name')

• deva: O god
• deva: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative), एकवचन

• mahyam: to me
• mahyam: Sampradāna (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तमपुरुष-सर्वनाम, चतुर्थी-विभक्ति (Dative/4th), एकवचन

• kīrtaya: tell; recount; proclaim
• kīrtaya: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kīrt (धातु)
• Form: लोट्-लकार (Imperative), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• sāṃpratam: now; at present
• sāṃpratam: Kāla (Time/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sāṃprata (प्रातिपदिक/अव्ययीभाव-प्रयोग)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (adverb of time)

Speaker

Devī (Pārvatī)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Audience of sages (implied); immediate speaker is a devotee addressing Īśvara

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A devotee petitions the Lord to reveal the immense number and names of tīrthas across the earth; the scene suggests a cosmic map of sacred geography unfurling as a revelation.

Characters & Entities

• Devī (Pārvatī)
• Śiva (Deva)
• Tīrthas

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The world is saturated with sanctity; by learning the count and names of tīrthas from Śiva, the seeker gains a map for dhārmic living and pilgrimage-oriented purification.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No single site; the verse emphasizes the vast totality of tīrthas present on earth.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly; it is a request for systematic tīrtha knowledge that supports future tīrtha-yātrā, snāna, and worship.