Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 10

Devanagari script

वृक्षान्तरिक्षसंस्थानि जलस्थलगतानि च । कः शक्तस्तानि निर्णेतुं वागीशो वा महेश्वरः

Transliteration

vṛkṣāntarikṣasaṃsthāni jalasthalagatāni ca | kaḥ śaktastāni nirṇetuṃ vāgīśo vā maheśvaraḥ

Translation

Les uns sont établis parmi les arbres et dans les airs, les autres dans l’eau et sur la terre. Qui pourrait tous les dénombrer, fût-ce Vāgīśa, seigneur de la parole, ou même Maheśvara ?

Word by Word

• वृक्षान्तरिक्षसंस्थानि: located in trees and in the sky/air
• वृक्षान्तरिक्षसंस्थानि: Visheshana (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vṛkṣa (प्रातिपदिक) + antarikṣa (प्रातिपदिक) + saṃsthāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; समासः—(वृक्ष + अन्तरिक्ष) इति द्वन्द्व + तत्पुरुष (…संस्थानि = ‘having location/situation’)

• जलस्थलगतानि: found in water and on land
• जलस्थलगतानि: Visheshana (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: jala (प्रातिपदिक) + sthala (प्रातिपदिक) + gata (कृदन्त; √gam/गम् + क्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; समासः—(जल + स्थल) इति द्वन्द्व + तत्पुरुष (…गत)

• च: and
• च: Connector (समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय-बोधक

• कः: who?
• कः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kim (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; प्रश्नवाचक-सर्वनाम

• शक्तः: capable
• शक्तः: Visheshana (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śakta (प्रातिपदिक/कृदन्त; √śak/शक् + क्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (capable)

• तानि: those (places)
• तानि: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), बहुवचन

• निर्णेतुम्: to determine
• निर्णेतुम्: Prayojana (Purpose/प्रयोजन)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √nī (नी धातु) + निर् उपसर्ग + तुमुन् (कृदन्त; infinitive)
• Form: कृदन्त; तुमुन्-प्रत्यय (Infinitive), ‘to determine/ascertain’

• वागीशः: the lord of speech (Bṛhaspati)
• वागीशः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vāk (प्रातिपदिक) + īśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः—षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (वाचः ईशः)

• वा: or
• वा: Connector (विकल्प)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; विकल्पार्थक (disjunctive particle ‘or’)

• महेश्वरः: Maheśvara (Śiva)
• महेश्वरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: maheśvara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

Speaker

Narrative voice within Revā Khaṇḍa; speaker not explicit in snippet

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Ananta-Revā-tīrtha (the innumerable Revā tīrthas)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Bhārata/Yudhiṣṭhira (context)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A surreal sacred landscape: liṅgas and shrines appearing in tree hollows, hovering in the sky, half-submerged in water, and on open ground; a sage gestures as if saying ‘who can count?’ while the river flows beneath.

Characters & Entities

• Maheśvara (Śiva)
• Vāgīśa (lord of speech)
• Tīrthas (implied)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The sanctity of the Revā region is immeasurable; human speech and counting fail before the vastness of its tīrtha-power.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Revā/Narmadā tīrtha-field as a whole, depicted as containing countless sacred loci across all realms (land, water, and more).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None directly; the verse emphasizes the limitless scope of pilgrimage merit rather than a single prescribed act.