Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 32

Devanagari script

तस्य वै कोटितीर्थस्य महिमा केन कथ्यताम् । यत्र स्नात्वा पुरा कृष्णो लोकसंग्रहणेच्छया

Transliteration

tasya vai koṭitīrthasya mahimā kena kathyatām | yatra snātvā purā kṛṣṇo lokasaṃgrahaṇecchayā

Translation

Qui saurait dire comme il convient la grandeur de ce Koṭitīrtha—où Kṛṣṇa, jadis, se baigna pour le maintien du monde et l’édification des êtres ?

Word by Word

• तस्य: of that
• तस्य: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), एकवचन = Genitive singular

• वै: indeed
• वै: Sambandha/Emphasis (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vai (अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (निपात) = emphatic particle

• कोटितीर्थस्य: of Koṭitīrtha
• कोटितीर्थस्य: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: koṭi-tīrtha (प्रातिपदिक; कोटि + तीर्थ)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, एकवचन = Genitive singular; ‘कोटि-नामकस्य तीर्थस्य’

• महिमा: greatness; glory
• महिमा: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahimā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन = Nominative singular

• केन: by whom; how
• केन: Karana (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kim (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, तृतीया, एकवचन = Instrumental singular; प्रश्नार्थक ‘by whom/how’

• कथ्यताम्: let (it) be told
• कथ्यताम्: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √kath (कथ् धातु)
• Form: लोट् (imperative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; कर्मणि प्रयोगः (passive) = ‘let it be told’

• यत्र: where
• यत्र: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yatra (अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (देशवाचक) = ‘where’

• स्नात्वा: having bathed
• स्नात्वा: Kriyā (पूर्वकर्म/अनुक्रम)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √snā (स्ना धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund) = ‘having bathed’

• पुरा: formerly
• पुरा: Kāla (काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: purā (अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (कालवाचक) = adverb ‘formerly/once’

• कृष्णः: Krishna
• कृष्णः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kṛṣṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन = Nominative singular

• लोकसंग्रहणेच्छया: with the wish to uphold the world
• लोकसंग्रहणेच्छया: Hetu/Reason (हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: loka-saṃgrahaṇa-icchā (प्रातिपदिक; लोक + संग्रहण + इच्छा)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन = Instrumental singular; हेतौ/साधने ‘with the desire for maintaining the world’

Speaker

Skanda (deduced from Setukhaṇḍa narration style)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Koṭitīrtha

Type: kund

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Kṛṣṇa, in ancient time, bathes at Koṭitīrtha with a purposeful, instructive demeanor; onlookers—sages and common folk—feel inspired to follow dharma.

Characters & Entities

• Koṭitīrtha
• Kṛṣṇa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Great beings perform tīrtha-rites to guide society; dharma is preserved through exemplary action (loka-saṃgraha).

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Koṭitīrtha in the Setu/Rāmeśvaram sacred geography.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Snāna at Koṭitīrtha is highlighted as a meritorious act even undertaken by Kṛṣṇa.