Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 32

Devanagari script

कोटिगोरोम संख्यानि वर्षाणि वरवर्णिनि । तावत्स वसते स्वर्गे यः षष्ठीं कपिलां चरेत्

Transliteration

koṭigoroma saṃkhyāni varṣāṇi varavarṇini | tāvatsa vasate svarge yaḥ ṣaṣṭhīṃ kapilāṃ caret

Translation

ഹേ സുന്ദരീ! ‘പശുവിന്റെ രോമങ്ങളുടെ കോടി-എണ്ണം’ എത്ര വർഷങ്ങളായി എണ്ണാനാകുമോ, അത്രകാലം കപിലാ ഷഷ്ഠി വിധിപൂർവ്വം ആചരിക്കുന്നവൻ സ്വർഗത്തിൽ വസിക്കുന്നു.

Word by Word

• कोटि-गो-रोम-संख्यानि: numbering as many as crores of cow-hairs
• कोटि-गो-रोम-संख्यानि: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कोटि (प्रातिपदिक) + गो (प्रातिपदिक) + रोम (प्रातिपदिक) + संख्या (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; समासः ‘having the number of (hairs of) cows amounting to crores’ (अर्थे बहुव्रीहिवत् प्रयोगः, परन्तु संख्या-प्रधान तत्पुरुष); विशेषणम् ‘वर्षाणि’

• वर्षाणि: years
• वर्षाणि: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वर्ष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; Accusative plural (duration)

• वर-वर्णिनि: O fair-complexioned one
• वर-वर्णिनि: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वर (प्रातिपदिक) + वर्णिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः ‘O fair-complexioned (excellent-colored) lady’; Vocative singular

• तावत्: so much; for that long
• तावत्: Kriya-viseshana (Measure/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तावत् (प्रातिपदिक/अव्ययवत्)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; परिमाणवाचक; correlates with duration ‘वर्षाणि’ (as much/so long)

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Nominative singular

• वसते: dwells
• वसते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वस् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

• स्वर्गे: in heaven
• स्वर्गे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्वर्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Locative singular

• यः: who
• यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Relative pronoun

• षष्ठीम्: the Ṣaṣṭhī rite/vow
• षष्ठीम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: षष्ठी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Accusative singular

• कपिलाम्: Kapilā (so named)
• कपिलाम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कपिला (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषणम् ‘षष्ठीम्’

• चरेत्: should observe
• चरेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: चर् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva) addressing Devī (deduced from immediate chapter context and vocative)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kapilā-Ṣaṣṭhī at Kapiladhārā–Kapileśvara (Prabhāsa)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Varavarṇinī (explicitly addressed: ‘O fair lady’)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A devotee completes Kapilā-Ṣaṣṭhī at Kapileśvara; the scene transitions symbolically to svarga: celestial gardens, apsarases, and vimānas above, connected by a luminous path rising from the Prabhāsa shrine; the ‘crores of cow-hairs’ idea is hinted by a shimmering, innumerable golden texture.

Characters & Entities

• Īśvara (Śiva)
• Devī
• Kapilā-Ṣaṣṭhī
• Svarga

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Faithful observance of a tīrtha-linked vrata is said to yield vast, long-lasting spiritual reward.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa Kṣetra, within the Kapileśvara/Kapilā observance narrative.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Observance of Kapilā-Ṣaṣṭhī (a Ṣaṣṭhī-day vrata associated with Kapilā/Kapileśvara).