Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 15

Devanagari script

वसिष्ठ उवाच । तिस्रः कोट्योर्धकोटी च तीर्थानामिह भूतले । संति पार्थिवशार्दूल प्रभावसहितानि च

Transliteration

vasiṣṭha uvāca | tisraḥ koṭyordhakoṭī ca tīrthānāmiha bhūtale | saṃti pārthivaśārdūla prabhāvasahitāni ca

Translation

Vasiṣṭha dit : Ô tigre parmi les rois, sur cette terre il existe trois crores et un demi-crore de tīrtha, chacun pourvu de sa puissance sacrée et de son efficacité propres.

Word by Word

• वसिष्ठः: Vasiṣṭha
• वसिष्ठः: Karta (Speaker/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वसिष्ठ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• तिस्रः: three
• तिस्रः: Karta (Predicate numeral/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: त्रि (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), बहुवचन; संख्या-विशेषण

• कोट्यः: crores (ten-millions)
• कोट्यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कोटि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), बहुवचन

• अर्धकोटी: and a half-crore
• अर्धकोटी: Karta (Additional subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अर्ध (प्रातिपदिक) + कोटि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन; कर्मधारय/तत्पुरुष (अर्धा कोटिः = half-crore)

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

• तीर्थानाम्: of sacred places
• तीर्थानाम्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive), बहुवचन

• इह: here
• इह: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इह (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (here)

• भूतले: on the earth
• भूतले: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भू (प्रातिपदिक) + तल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (भूः = पृथिवी, तस्य तलम्)

• सन्ति: there are
• सन्ति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथम-पुरुष, बहुवचन; परस्मैपद

• पार्थिवशार्दूल: O tiger among kings
• पार्थिवशार्दूल: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पार्थिव (प्रातिपदिक) + शार्दूल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-प्रथमा (Vocative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (पार्थिवानां शार्दूलः = tiger among kings)

• प्रभावसहितानि: endowed with (their) potency
• प्रभावसहितानि: Karta (Predicate adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्रभाव (प्रातिपदिक) + सहित (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक, √सह)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), बहुवचन; तीर्थाणि इति विशेषणम्; तृतीया-तत्पुरुषार्थे (प्रभावेन सहितानि = endowed with power)

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

Speaker

Vasiṣṭha

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Tīrthas in general (3.5 crores)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Pārthivaśārdūla (the king; unnamed in given excerpt)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Vasiṣṭha speaks expansively, as if unveiling a map of the world dotted with luminous tīrthas; the king listens in awe.

Characters & Entities

• Vasiṣṭha

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The earth is saturated with sacred crossings; divine grace is accessible through many tīrthas, each with distinct prabhāva.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

This verse praises tīrthas collectively; it does not single out a named site.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly; the verse establishes the scope of tīrthas before recommending specifics.