Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 23

Devanagari script

न तेषां कीर्तनं शक्यं कर्तुं वर्षशतैरपि । तथा स्वायंभुवस्यादौ कल्पस्य प्रथमस्य च

Transliteration

na teṣāṃ kīrtanaṃ śakyaṃ kartuṃ varṣaśatairapi | tathā svāyaṃbhuvasyādau kalpasya prathamasya ca

Translation

On ne peut les énumérer, fût-ce en des centaines d’années ; il en est ainsi depuis l’aube de l’ère de Svāyambhuva (Manu) et depuis le tout premier kalpa.

Word by Word

• न: not
• न: Nishedha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक-अव्यय (negation particle)

• तेषाम्: of them
• तेषाम्: Shashthi-sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठीसम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/6th), बहुवचन (Plural)

• कीर्तनम्: recitation/description
• कीर्तनम्: Karma/Predicate (Object/प्रत्ययार्थ)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कीर्तन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (Nom./Acc.), एकवचन (Singular)

• शक्यम्: possible
• शक्यम्: Predicate (Vidheyavisheshana/विधेयविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शक्य (प्रातिपदिक; शक्-धातोः यत्)
• Form: कृदन्त (यत्-प्रत्ययान्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; योग्य/समर्थ (possible)

• कर्तुम्: to do
• कर्तुम्: Prayojana (Purpose/प्रयोजन)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: तुमुन्-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (Infinitive), अव्ययप्राय (indeclinable verbal)

• वर्षशतैः: by hundreds of years
• वर्षशतैः: Karana (Instrument/Means/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वर्ष + शत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (शत), तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), बहुवचन (Plural); तत्पुरुषः (वर्षाणां शतानि)

• अपि: even
• अपि: Sambhavana/Emphasis (Even/अपि)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: अपि (even/also) निपात

• तथा: thus/likewise
• तथा: Prakara (Manner/प्रकार)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रकारवाचक-अव्यय (adverb)

• स्वायंभुवस्य: of Svāyambhuva (Manu)
• स्वायंभुवस्य: Shashthi-sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठीसम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्वायंभुव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/6th), एकवचन (Singular)

• आदौ: at the beginning
• आदौ: Adhikarana (Location/Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आदि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन (Singular)

• कल्पस्य: of the kalpa
• कल्पस्य: Shashthi-sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठीसम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कल्प (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/6th), एकवचन (Singular)

• प्रथमस्य: of the first
• प्रथमस्य: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्रथम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/6th), एकवचन (Singular)

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Coordination/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-अव्यय (conjunction)

Speaker

Sūta (context from preceding verse)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra tīrtha-samūha (innumerable)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Ṛṣayaḥ

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Sūta declares the tīrthas beyond enumeration, evoking cosmic time: a vision of kalpas rolling, Svāyambhuva Manu at the dawn, and the kṣetra’s tīrthas shining timelessly.

Characters & Entities

• Svāyambhuva
• Kalpa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred merit is portrayed as vast beyond ordinary counting; reverence matters more than exhaustive cataloguing.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The tīrthas pervading Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra are said to be too numerous to list.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; the verse uses cosmological time to emphasize magnitude and antiquity.