Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 21

Devanagari script

वहन्ति येषां कालेन ते न काल वशा नराः । देवि किं बहुनोक्तेन वर्णितेन पुनःपुनः । सरस्वत्याः परं तीर्थं न भूतं न भविष्यति

Transliteration

vahanti yeṣāṃ kālena te na kāla vaśā narāḥ | devi kiṃ bahunoktena varṇitena punaḥpunaḥ | sarasvatyāḥ paraṃ tīrthaṃ na bhūtaṃ na bhaviṣyati

Translation

Diejenigen, für die die Zeit selbst dahinströmt, sind keine Menschen, die der Herrschaft der Zeit unterliegen. O Göttin, wozu noch mehr sagen und immer wieder preisen? Es gab nie und wird nie ein Tīrtha geben, das höher ist als Sarasvatī.

Word by Word

• vahanti: they carry/they bear
• vahanti: Kriyā (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vah (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), परस्मैपदम्, प्रथमपुरुषः (3rd person), बहुवचनम् (plural)

• yeṣām: of whom
• yeṣām: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (प्रातिपदिक/सर्वनाम)
• Form: षष्ठी (Genitive/6th), बहुवचनम् (plural), सर्वनाम-प्रयोगः

• kālena: by time
• kālena: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kāla (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गः (masc.), तृतीया (Instrumental/3rd), एकवचनम् (sing.)

• te: they
• te: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (प्रातिपदिक/सर्वनाम)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गः (masc.), प्रथमा (Nominative/1st), बहुवचनम् (plural), सर्वनाम

• na: not
• na: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक-अव्ययम् (negation particle)

• kāla: time
• kāla: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kāla (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गः (masc.), प्रथमा (Nominative/1st), एकवचनम् (sing.)

• vaśāḥ: under control (subjects)
• vaśāḥ: Karta (Subject complement/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vaśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गः (masc.), प्रथमा (Nominative/1st), बहुवचनम् (plural)

• narāḥ: men
• narāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गः (masc.), प्रथमा (Nominative/1st), बहुवचनम् (plural)

• devi: O Goddess
• devi: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: devī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गः (fem.), सम्बोधन (Vocative), एकवचनम् (sing.)

• kim: what
• kim: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kim (प्रातिपदिक/सर्वनाम)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गः (neut.), द्वितीया (Accusative/2nd) एकवचनम् (sing.)/अव्ययीभावेन प्रश्नार्थक-प्रयोगः

• bahunā: with much (talk)
• bahunā: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: bahu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गः (neut.), तृतीया (Instrumental/3rd), एकवचनम् (sing.)

• uktena: by what is said; by speech
• uktena: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ukta (कृदन्त; √vac धातोः क्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गः (neut.), तृतीया (Instrumental/3rd), एकवचनम् (sing.); क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle)

• varṇitena: by (what is) described
• varṇitena: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: varṇita (कृदन्त; √varṇ धातोः क्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गः (neut.), तृतीया (Instrumental/3rd), एकवचनम् (sing.); क्त-प्रत्ययान्त

• punaḥ: again
• punaḥ: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: punaḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: क्रियाविशेषण-अव्ययम् (adverb)

• punaḥ: again
• punaḥ: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: punaḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: क्रियाविशेषण-अव्ययम् (adverb)

• sarasvatyāḥ: of Sarasvatī
• sarasvatyāḥ: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sarasvatī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गः (fem.), षष्ठी (Genitive/6th), एकवचनम् (sing.)

• param: supreme
• param: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: para (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गः (neut.), द्वितीया (Accusative/2nd), एकवचनम् (sing.)

• tīrtham: pilgrimage place; ford
• tīrtham: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tīrtha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गः (neut.), द्वितीया (Accusative/2nd), एकवचनम् (sing.)

• na: not
• na: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक-अव्ययम् (negation particle)

• bhūtam: (has) been; existed
• bhūtam: Karta (Predicate nominal/कर्ता-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhūta (कृदन्त; √bhū धातोः क्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गः (neut.), प्रथमा/द्वितीया (Nom./Acc.), एकवचनम् (sing.); क्त-प्रत्ययान्त

• na: not
• na: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक-अव्ययम् (negation particle)

• bhaviṣyati: will be
• bhaviṣyati: Kriyā (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: bhū (धातु)
• Form: लृट् (Simple future), परस्मैपदम्, प्रथमपुरुषः (3rd person), एकवचनम् (sing.)

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Sarasvatī (as supreme tīrtha)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Devī (Pārvatī)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A contemplative river scene at twilight/dawn: Sarasvatī flows with a subtle cosmic aura; above the river, a faint wheel of Time (kāla-cakra) dissolves, while Śiva speaks calmly to Devī, signaling transcendence.

Characters & Entities

• Sarasvatī
• Kāla (Time)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The Sarasvatī tīrtha is portrayed as unsurpassed, granting a state that is not overpowered by worldly time-bound limitation.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Sarasvatī tīrtha (within Prabhāsa Kṣetra’s sacred landscape).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No specific rite is stated; the verse is a peak eulogy asserting unrivaled sanctity.