Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 21

Devanagari script

वहन्ति येषां कालेन ते न काल वशा नराः । देवि किं बहुनोक्तेन वर्णितेन पुनःपुनः । सरस्वत्याः परं तीर्थं न भूतं न भविष्यति

Transliteration

vahanti yeṣāṃ kālena te na kāla vaśā narāḥ | devi kiṃ bahunoktena varṇitena punaḥpunaḥ | sarasvatyāḥ paraṃ tīrthaṃ na bhūtaṃ na bhaviṣyati

Translation

Mereka yang bagi dirinya waktu sendiri mengalir, bukanlah manusia yang tunduk pada kuasa Kala (Waktu). Wahai Dewi, apa guna berkata banyak dan memuji berulang-ulang? Tiada pernah ada, dan tiada akan ada, tīrtha yang lebih luhur daripada Sarasvatī.

Word by Word

• vahanti: they carry/they bear
• vahanti: Kriyā (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vah (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), परस्मैपदम्, प्रथमपुरुषः (3rd person), बहुवचनम् (plural)

• yeṣām: of whom
• yeṣām: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (प्रातिपदिक/सर्वनाम)
• Form: षष्ठी (Genitive/6th), बहुवचनम् (plural), सर्वनाम-प्रयोगः

• kālena: by time
• kālena: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kāla (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गः (masc.), तृतीया (Instrumental/3rd), एकवचनम् (sing.)

• te: they
• te: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (प्रातिपदिक/सर्वनाम)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गः (masc.), प्रथमा (Nominative/1st), बहुवचनम् (plural), सर्वनाम

• na: not
• na: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक-अव्ययम् (negation particle)

• kāla: time
• kāla: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kāla (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गः (masc.), प्रथमा (Nominative/1st), एकवचनम् (sing.)

• vaśāḥ: under control (subjects)
• vaśāḥ: Karta (Subject complement/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vaśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गः (masc.), प्रथमा (Nominative/1st), बहुवचनम् (plural)

• narāḥ: men
• narāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गः (masc.), प्रथमा (Nominative/1st), बहुवचनम् (plural)

• devi: O Goddess
• devi: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: devī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गः (fem.), सम्बोधन (Vocative), एकवचनम् (sing.)

• kim: what
• kim: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kim (प्रातिपदिक/सर्वनाम)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गः (neut.), द्वितीया (Accusative/2nd) एकवचनम् (sing.)/अव्ययीभावेन प्रश्नार्थक-प्रयोगः

• bahunā: with much (talk)
• bahunā: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: bahu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गः (neut.), तृतीया (Instrumental/3rd), एकवचनम् (sing.)

• uktena: by what is said; by speech
• uktena: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ukta (कृदन्त; √vac धातोः क्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गः (neut.), तृतीया (Instrumental/3rd), एकवचनम् (sing.); क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle)

• varṇitena: by (what is) described
• varṇitena: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: varṇita (कृदन्त; √varṇ धातोः क्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गः (neut.), तृतीया (Instrumental/3rd), एकवचनम् (sing.); क्त-प्रत्ययान्त

• punaḥ: again
• punaḥ: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: punaḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: क्रियाविशेषण-अव्ययम् (adverb)

• punaḥ: again
• punaḥ: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: punaḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: क्रियाविशेषण-अव्ययम् (adverb)

• sarasvatyāḥ: of Sarasvatī
• sarasvatyāḥ: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sarasvatī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गः (fem.), षष्ठी (Genitive/6th), एकवचनम् (sing.)

• param: supreme
• param: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: para (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गः (neut.), द्वितीया (Accusative/2nd), एकवचनम् (sing.)

• tīrtham: pilgrimage place; ford
• tīrtham: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tīrtha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गः (neut.), द्वितीया (Accusative/2nd), एकवचनम् (sing.)

• na: not
• na: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक-अव्ययम् (negation particle)

• bhūtam: (has) been; existed
• bhūtam: Karta (Predicate nominal/कर्ता-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhūta (कृदन्त; √bhū धातोः क्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गः (neut.), प्रथमा/द्वितीया (Nom./Acc.), एकवचनम् (sing.); क्त-प्रत्ययान्त

• na: not
• na: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक-अव्ययम् (negation particle)

• bhaviṣyati: will be
• bhaviṣyati: Kriyā (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: bhū (धातु)
• Form: लृट् (Simple future), परस्मैपदम्, प्रथमपुरुषः (3rd person), एकवचनम् (sing.)

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Sarasvatī (as supreme tīrtha)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Devī (Pārvatī)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A contemplative river scene at twilight/dawn: Sarasvatī flows with a subtle cosmic aura; above the river, a faint wheel of Time (kāla-cakra) dissolves, while Śiva speaks calmly to Devī, signaling transcendence.

Characters & Entities

• Sarasvatī
• Kāla (Time)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The Sarasvatī tīrtha is portrayed as unsurpassed, granting a state that is not overpowered by worldly time-bound limitation.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Sarasvatī tīrtha (within Prabhāsa Kṣetra’s sacred landscape).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No specific rite is stated; the verse is a peak eulogy asserting unrivaled sanctity.