Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 21

Devanagari script

वृषभे रोमसंख्या या सर्वाङ्गेषु नराधिप । तावद्वर्षप्रमाणं तु शिवलोके महीयते

Transliteration

vṛṣabhe romasaṃkhyā yā sarvāṅgeṣu narādhipa | tāvadvarṣapramāṇaṃ tu śivaloke mahīyate

Translation

Ô roi, autant d’années qu’il y a de poils sur tout le corps d’un taureau, pour cette même durée l’on est honoré et exalté dans le monde de Śiva.

Word by Word

• वृषभे: in/on the bull
• वृषभे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वृषभ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• रोमसंख्या: the number of hairs
• रोमसंख्या: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रोमन्-संख्या (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; समासः: रोम्णां संख्या (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष)

• या: which
• या: Karta (Relative subject/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक (relative pronoun)

• सर्वाङ्गेषु: in all the limbs
• सर्वाङ्गेषु: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्व-अङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), बहुवचन; समासः: सर्वाणि अङ्गानि (कर्मधारय/तत्पुरुष-प्राय)

• नराधिप: O king (lord of men)
• नराधिप: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर-अधिप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th/Vocative), एकवचन; समासः: नराणाम् अधिपः (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष)

• तावत्: so much/that many
• तावत्: Avyaya (Measure/परिमाण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तावत् (अव्यय/प्रातिपदिक-प्रयोग)
• Form: परिमाणवाचक-अव्यय (correlative adverb: so much/that many)

• वर्षप्रमाणम्: a measure in years (duration)
• वर्षप्रमाणम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वर्ष-प्रमाण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; समासः: वर्षाणां प्रमाणम् (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष)

• तु: indeed/and
• तु: Avyaya (Particle/अव्यय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle)

• शिवलोके: in Śiva’s world
• शिवलोके: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शिव-लोक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; समासः: शिवस्य लोकः (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष)

• महीयते: is honored/is exalted
• महीयते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: मह् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; आत्मनेपद; कर्मणि/भावे प्रयोग (passive/impersonal sense)

Speaker

Mārkaṇḍeya (to Yudhiṣṭhira)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Gopāreśvara

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Yudhiṣṭhira

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A visionary tableau: the donated bull’s body is shown with shimmering hairs transforming into countless years, while the donor is depicted being welcomed into Śiva-loka—radiant attendants, celestial architecture, and Śiva’s realm symbolism.

Characters & Entities

• Śiva
• Yudhiṣṭhira

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Devotion to Śiva-linked tīrthas yields vast, long-lasting spiritual honor, described through an immeasurable time-metaphor.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

This verse occurs in the Gopāreśvara-māhātmya stream within Revā Khaṇḍa, connected to Śaiva sanctity along the Narmadā.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No specific rite is stated in this verse; it declares the scale of the resulting merit (phala).