Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 28

Devanagari script

तपसः किं प्रभावोऽयं किं वा मंत्रपराक्रमः । येन पृथ्वीतलं कृत्स्नं त्वया दृष्टं मुनीश्वर

Transliteration

tapasaḥ kiṃ prabhāvo'yaṃ kiṃ vā maṃtraparākramaḥ | yena pṛthvītalaṃ kṛtsnaṃ tvayā dṛṣṭaṃ munīśvara

Translation

ಹೇ ಮುನೀಶ್ವರ! ಇದು ತಪಸ್ಸಿನ ಪ್ರಭಾವವೋ, ಅಥವಾ ಮಂತ್ರದ ಪರಾಕ್ರಮವೋ—ಇದರಿಂದ ನೀನು ಸಮಸ್ತ ಪೃಥ್ವೀತಳವನ್ನು ಕಂಡೆ?

Word by Word

• तपसः: of austerity (tapas)
• तपसः: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तपस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), एकवचन — Genitive singular

• किम्: what?
• किम्: Prashna (Interrogative)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन — interrogative pronoun (nom./acc. sg.)

• प्रभावः: power, efficacy
• प्रभावः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रभाव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन — Nominative singular

• अयम्: this
• अयम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन — demonstrative pronoun

• किम्: what?
• किम्: Prashna (Interrogative)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन — interrogative pronoun

• वा: or
• वा: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वा (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय/विकल्पार्थक-अव्यय — disjunctive particle ‘or’

• मन्त्रपराक्रमः: the power/force of (a) mantra
• मन्त्रपराक्रमः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मन्त्र (प्रातिपदिक) + पराक्रम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन — Nominative singular; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (मन्त्रस्य पराक्रमः)

• येन: by which
• येन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), एकवचन — instrumental singular ‘by which’

• पृथ्वीतलम्: the surface of the earth
• पृथ्वीतलम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पृथ्वी (प्रातिपदिक) + तल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन — Accusative singular; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (पृथ्व्याः तलम्)

• कृत्स्नम्: entire, whole
• कृत्स्नम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कृत्स्न (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन — Accusative singular (agreeing with पृथ्वीतलम्)

• त्वया: by you
• त्वया: Kartr̥ (Agent in passive/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तमपुरुष-सर्वनाम, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), एकवचन — instrumental ‘by you’

• दृष्टम्: seen
• दृष्टम्: Karma (Object state/कर्म)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश् (धातु) → दृष्ट (कृदन्त, क्त-प्रत्यय)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (Past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन — ‘seen’ (agreeing with object)

• मुनीश्वर: O lord of sages
• मुनीश्वर: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मुनि (प्रातिपदिक) + ईश्वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th/सम्बोधन), एकवचन — Vocative singular; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (मुनीनां ईश्वरः)

Speaker

An unnamed listener (likely a sage/interlocutor)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A questioning pilgrim-sage addresses a radiant muni who seems to ‘see’ the whole earth; the background suggests a map-like panorama of rivers, mountains, and kṣetras unfolding as a visionary field.

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Spiritual accomplishment is traced to recognized dhārmic sources—tapas, mantra, and divine grace—rather than worldly capability.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No single tīrtha is named in this verse; it supports the Mahātmya framework by explaining how sacred places can be known.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Implicitly, tapas and mantra-japa are presented as potent disciplines, though no specific rule is stated here.