Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 2

Devanagari script

वासुदेवविहीनं हि तीर्थमेतन्न रोचते । असूर्यं हि जगद्यद्वत्स हि भूषण भूषणम्

Transliteration

vāsudevavihīnaṃ hi tīrthametanna rocate | asūryaṃ hi jagadyadvatsa hi bhūṣaṇa bhūṣaṇam

Translation

Car ce tīrtha ne me plaît pas s’il est privé de Vāsudeva—comme le monde sans le soleil est sans joie ; car Il est l’ornement de tous les ornements.

Word by Word

• वासुदेवविहीनम्: devoid of Vāsudeva
• वासुदेवविहीनम्: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वासुदेव + विहीन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (वासुदेवेन विहीनम्), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; 'तीर्थम्' इति विशेषण

• हि: indeed; for
• हि: Sambandha (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय—निपात (emphatic/causal particle)

• तीर्थम्: a sacred ford/place of pilgrimage
• तीर्थम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन

• एतत्: this
• एतत्: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; 'तीर्थम्' इति विशेषण

• न: not
• न: Pratishedha (Negation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय—निषेध (negation)

• रोचते: pleases; is agreeable
• रोचते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: रुच् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन, आत्मनेपद

• असूर्यम्: sunless
• असूर्यम्: Upamana (Standard of comparison)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अ + सूर्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय/नञ्-समास (सूर्यः न अस्ति यस्मिन्), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; उपमान-पदम्

• हि: indeed
• हि: Sambandha (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय—निपात

• जगत्: the world
• जगत्: Upameya (Object compared)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जगत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; उपमेय-पदम्

• यद्वत्: just as
• यद्वत्: Sambandha (Comparison marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यद्वत् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय—उपमानवाचक (comparative particle: just as)

• स: that (it)
• स: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन; 'तीर्थम्' इत्यस्य निर्देशः

• हि: indeed
• हि: Sambandha (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय—निपात

• भूषण: O ornament (dear one)
• भूषण: Sambodhana (Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भूषण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative), एकवचन

• भूषणम्: an ornament; adornment
• भूषणम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भूषण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; उपमेय-पदम् (apposition)

Speaker

Nārada

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Kauravya

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A luminous Vāsudeva presence is envisioned at the tīrtha; the landscape brightens like sunrise, with Nārada gesturing toward the ford as if explaining that without the Sun-like Lord it is joyless.

Characters & Entities

• Vāsudeva

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

A holy place is truly luminous when anchored in the presence of the Supreme—Vāsudeva is portrayed as its spiritual ‘sun’.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse speaks generally of ‘this tīrtha’ being incomplete without Vāsudeva; the exact site is part of the unfolding Adhyāya 42 narrative.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No direct ritual is prescribed; the theological requirement is stated: integrate Vāsudeva’s worship/presence into the tīrtha.