Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 46

Devanagari script

तत्फलं गदितुं पार्थ वागीशोऽपि न वै क्षमः । एतज्ज्ञात्वा परं पार्थ कोटितीर्थं प्रसेवते

Transliteration

tatphalaṃ gadituṃ pārtha vāgīśo'pi na vai kṣamaḥ | etajjñātvā paraṃ pārtha koṭitīrthaṃ prasevate

Translation

ഹേ പാർഥ, ആ ഫലം വിവരിക്കാൻ വാക്കിന്റെ അധിപനായ വാഗീശനും പോലും ശേഷിയില്ല. അതിനാൽ, ഹേ പാർഥ, ഇതറിഞ്ഞ് കോടിതീർത്ഥത്തെ ആശ്രയിച്ച് സേവിക്കണം.

Word by Word

• tatphalaṃ: that fruit/result
• tatphalaṃ: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + phala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (तस्य फलम्); कर्म

• gadituṃ: to tell/declare
• gadituṃ: Kriya (Infinitival/प्रयोजन)
• Type: Verb
• Root: gad (धातु)
• Form: तुमुन्-प्रत्यय (infinitive/तुमन्त), अव्ययभाव; प्रयोजन (purpose)

• pārtha: O Pārtha
• pārtha: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pārtha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th/सम्बोधन), एकवचन

• vāgīśaḥ: lord of speech (Bṛhaspati/Sarasvatī’s lord)
• vāgīśaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vāk (प्रातिपदिक) + īśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (वाचः ईशः); कर्ता

• api: even
• api: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle); अपि = even/also

• na: not
• na: Sambandha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध (negation particle)

• vai: indeed
• vai: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vai (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (emphatic particle)

• kṣamaḥ: capable
• kṣamaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (Predicate adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kṣama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; विधेय-विशेषण (वागीशः)

• etat: this
• etat: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: etad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; कर्म (ज्ञात्वा—object of knowing)

• jñātvā: having known
• jñātvā: Kriya (Gerundial/पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: jñā (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund), अव्ययभाव; पूर्वक्रिया

• paraṃ: especially; further
• paraṃ: Kriya-visheṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: para (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: क्रियाविशेषण (adverb)

• pārtha: O Pārtha
• pārtha: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pārtha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th/सम्बोधन), एकवचन

• koṭitīrthaṃ: Koṭitīrtha
• koṭitīrthaṃ: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: koṭi (प्रातिपदिक) + tīrtha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष; कर्म

• prasevate: resorts to; frequents; serves
• prasevate: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra + sev (धातु)
• Form: लट् (present/वर्तमान), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

Speaker

Lomaharṣaṇa (Sūta) to the sages (deduced); vocative ‘Pārtha’ preserved from embedded dialogue tradition

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Koṭitīrtha

Type: tirtha

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Pārtha

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A sage-like narrator gestures toward the shimmering tīrtha while a personified Vāk (or Bṛhaspati/Vāgīśa) stands humbled, palms joined, indicating the fruit cannot be fully spoken; pilgrims approach to serve the place.

Characters & Entities

• Koṭitīrtha
• Vāgīśa (Lord of Speech)
• Pārtha (Arjuna)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

When the greatness of a holy place surpasses description, the proper response is practice—go, serve, and experience the tīrtha.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Koṭitīrtha, whose merit is said to be beyond even the capacity of eloquent divine speech.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Prasevā—regular resorting to, honoring, and serving the tīrtha (pilgrimage and devotional attendance).