Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 11

Devanagari script

सूर्यलोके वसेत्तावद्यावत्कल्पशतत्रयम् । गन्धर्वैरप्सरोभिश्च सेव्यमानो नृपोत्तम

Transliteration

sūryaloke vasettāvadyāvatkalpaśatatrayam | gandharvairapsarobhiśca sevyamāno nṛpottama

Translation

Pendant trois cents kalpas, il demeure dans le monde de Sūrya, honoré et servi par les Gandharvas et les Apsaras, ô le meilleur des rois.

Word by Word

• sūrya-loke: in the world of the Sun
• sūrya-loke: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sūrya (प्रातिपदिक) + loka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (अधिकरण), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (sūryasya lokaḥ)

• vaset: would dwell
• vaset: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vas (वस् धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• tāvat: so long
• tāvat: Adhikaraṇa (Duration/कालावधि)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tāvat (अव्यय)
• Form: परिमाण/अवधि-वाचक-अव्यय (correlative: 'so long')

• yāvat: as long as
• yāvat: Adhikaraṇa (Limit/सीमा)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yāvat (अव्यय)
• Form: यावत्-तावत्-सम्बन्धी अव्यय (correlative: 'as long as')

• kalpa-śata-trayam: three hundred kalpas
• kalpa-śata-trayam: Kāla-adhikaraṇa (Duration measure/कालपरिमाण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kalpa (प्रातिपदिक) + śata (प्रातिपदिक/संख्या) + traya (प्रातिपदिक/संख्या)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (कर्म/अवधि), एकवचन; द्विगु-समासः: 'kalpānāṃ śatānāṃ trayam' = three hundreds of kalpas

• gandharvaiḥ: by Gandharvas
• gandharvaiḥ: Karaṇa (Agent in passive/कर्तृ-करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gandharva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• apsarobhiḥ: by Apsarases
• apsarobhiḥ: Karaṇa (Agent in passive/कर्तृ-करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: apsaras (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

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

• sevyamānaḥ: being served/attended
• sevyamānaḥ: Kartṛ-predicative (Subject qualifier/कर्तृ-विशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sev (सेव् धातु)
• Form: वर्तमानकाले कर्मणि-प्रयोगे शानच्-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (present passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• nṛpa-uttama: O best of kings
• nṛpa-uttama: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nṛpa (प्रातिपदिक) + uttama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (nṛpāṇām uttamaḥ)

Speaker

Mārkaṇḍeya (contextual)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Sūrya-loka (phala of Revā-tīrtha Sūrya-vrata)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: nṛpottama (best of kings)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A radiant golden Sūrya-loka: Bhāskara’s resplendent palace or solar orb-throne; the devotee-king welcomed, attended by Gandharvas with lutes and Apsarases with garlands; vast luminous sky.

Characters & Entities

• Sūrya-loka
• Gandharvas
• Apsarases
• Nṛpottama

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pious observance yields exalted post-mortem states; dharma practiced with devotion is portrayed as leading to luminous heavenly realms.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The reward statement belongs to the Revā Khaṇḍa pilgrimage framework, tying ritual merit to the sanctity associated with the Narmadā sphere.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

This verse states the fruit (phala) of prior observances; the prescriptions are fasting, vigil, incense, and lamp-offering described in the surrounding verses.