Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 40

Devanagari script

शूलभेदे च तीर्थानां साग्रं लक्षं स्थितं द्विजाः । देवग्रामे सहस्रं च तीर्थानां मुनिरब्रवीत्

Transliteration

śūlabhede ca tīrthānāṃ sāgraṃ lakṣaṃ sthitaṃ dvijāḥ | devagrāme sahasraṃ ca tīrthānāṃ munirabravīt

Translation

Oh brāhmanes, en Śūlabheda moran cien mil tīrthas y aún más; y en Devagrāma, declaró el sabio que mil tīrthas están establecidos.

Word by Word

• śūlabhede: at Śūlabheda
• śūlabhede: Adhikaraṇa (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śūlabheda (प्रातिपदिक; śūla + bheda)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन; समासः षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (śūlasya bhedaḥ)

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

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

• sāgram: with an excess (over and above)
• sāgram: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sāgra (प्रातिपदिक; sa + agra)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (lakṣam इत्यस्य)

• lakṣam: a lakh (100,000)
• lakṣam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: lakṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन; संख्यावाचक-नाम

• sthitam: is situated/exists
• sthitam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sthā (धाातु) → sthita (कृदन्त, क्त-प्रत्यय)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (past passive participle); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया/प्रथमा एकवचन; अत्र lakṣam इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

• dvijāḥ: O twice-born (brāhmaṇas)
• dvijāḥ: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dvija (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), बहुवचन; सम्बोधनार्थेऽपि प्रयोगः (O brāhmaṇas)

• devagrāme: at Devagrāma
• devagrāme: Adhikaraṇa (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: devagrāma (प्रातिपदिक; deva + grāma)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन; समासः षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (devānāṃ grāmaḥ)

• sahasram: a thousand
• sahasram: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sahasra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन; संख्यावाचक-नाम

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

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

• muniḥ: the sage
• muniḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: muni (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन

• abravīt: said
• abravīt: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: brū (धातु)
• Form: लङ्-लकार (Imperfect/Past), परस्मैपद, प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन

Speaker

Mārkaṇḍeya (as referenced in this adhyāya’s narration)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Śūlabheda; Devagrāma

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Dvijāḥ / brāhmaṇas

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A sage addressing brāhmaṇas on the banks of Revā, pointing to two sacred nodes—Śūlabheda and Devagrāma—while the riverbank is shown as studded with miniature shrines and bathing-ghāṭas symbolizing innumerable tīrthas.

Characters & Entities

• Śūlabheda
• Devagrāma
• dvija
• muni

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The verse magnifies specific sites as exceptionally meritorious, portraying them as ‘gathering points’ of countless tīrthas.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Śūlabheda (praised as exceeding a lakh tīrthas) and Devagrāma (praised as holding a thousand tīrthas).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None directly; the address to dvijas implies traditional tīrtha-observances such as purity, snāna, and charitable giving.