Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 10

Devanagari script

वृक्षान्तरिक्षसंस्थानि जलस्थलगतानि च । कः शक्तस्तानि निर्णेतुं वागीशो वा महेश्वरः

Transliteration

vṛkṣāntarikṣasaṃsthāni jalasthalagatāni ca | kaḥ śaktastāni nirṇetuṃ vāgīśo vā maheśvaraḥ

Translation

ചില തീർത്ഥങ്ങൾ വൃക്ഷങ്ങളിൽ, ചിലത് ആകാശമധ്യേ സ്ഥാപിതം; ചിലത് ജലത്തിൽ, ചിലത് നിലത്ത്. അവയെല്ലാം ആരാണ് എണ്ണിത്തീർക്കുക—വാക്കിന്റെ അധിപൻ വാഗീശനോ, അല്ലെങ്കിൽ സ്വയം മഹേശ്വരനോ?

Word by Word

• वृक्षान्तरिक्षसंस्थानि: located in trees and in the sky/air
• वृक्षान्तरिक्षसंस्थानि: Visheshana (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vṛkṣa (प्रातिपदिक) + antarikṣa (प्रातिपदिक) + saṃsthāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; समासः—(वृक्ष + अन्तरिक्ष) इति द्वन्द्व + तत्पुरुष (…संस्थानि = ‘having location/situation’)

• जलस्थलगतानि: found in water and on land
• जलस्थलगतानि: Visheshana (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: jala (प्रातिपदिक) + sthala (प्रातिपदिक) + gata (कृदन्त; √gam/गम् + क्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; समासः—(जल + स्थल) इति द्वन्द्व + तत्पुरुष (…गत)

• च: and
• च: Connector (समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय-बोधक

• कः: who?
• कः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kim (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; प्रश्नवाचक-सर्वनाम

• शक्तः: capable
• शक्तः: Visheshana (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śakta (प्रातिपदिक/कृदन्त; √śak/शक् + क्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (capable)

• तानि: those (places)
• तानि: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), बहुवचन

• निर्णेतुम्: to determine
• निर्णेतुम्: Prayojana (Purpose/प्रयोजन)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √nī (नी धातु) + निर् उपसर्ग + तुमुन् (कृदन्त; infinitive)
• Form: कृदन्त; तुमुन्-प्रत्यय (Infinitive), ‘to determine/ascertain’

• वागीशः: the lord of speech (Bṛhaspati)
• वागीशः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vāk (प्रातिपदिक) + īśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः—षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (वाचः ईशः)

• वा: or
• वा: Connector (विकल्प)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; विकल्पार्थक (disjunctive particle ‘or’)

• महेश्वरः: Maheśvara (Śiva)
• महेश्वरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: maheśvara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

Speaker

Narrative voice within Revā Khaṇḍa; speaker not explicit in snippet

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Ananta-Revā-tīrtha (the innumerable Revā tīrthas)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Bhārata/Yudhiṣṭhira (context)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A surreal sacred landscape: liṅgas and shrines appearing in tree hollows, hovering in the sky, half-submerged in water, and on open ground; a sage gestures as if saying ‘who can count?’ while the river flows beneath.

Characters & Entities

• Maheśvara (Śiva)
• Vāgīśa (lord of speech)
• Tīrthas (implied)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The sanctity of the Revā region is immeasurable; human speech and counting fail before the vastness of its tīrtha-power.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Revā/Narmadā tīrtha-field as a whole, depicted as containing countless sacred loci across all realms (land, water, and more).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None directly; the verse emphasizes the limitless scope of pilgrimage merit rather than a single prescribed act.