Skanda Purana — Vishnu Khanda, Shloka 59

Devanagari script

अगस्त्य उवाच । अहो धन्यतमा बुद्धिस्तव जाता तपोधन । दृश्यते येन पृच्छा ते ह्ययोध्यामहिमाश्रिता

Transliteration

agastya uvāca | aho dhanyatamā buddhistava jātā tapodhana | dṛśyate yena pṛcchā te hyayodhyāmahimāśritā

Translation

ਅਗਸਤ੍ਯ ਨੇ ਕਿਹਾ: ਅਹੋ! ਹੇ ਤਪ-ਧਨ, ਤੇਰੇ ਅੰਦਰ ਜੋ ਬੁੱਧੀ ਜਾਗੀ ਹੈ ਉਹ ਅਤਿ ਧੰਨ ਹੈ; ਕਿਉਂਕਿ ਤੇਰਾ ਇਹ ਪ੍ਰਸ਼ਨ ਅਯੋਧਿਆ ਦੀ ਮਹਿਮਾ ਉੱਤੇ ਆਧਾਰਿਤ ਦਿੱਸਦਾ ਹੈ।

Word by Word

• अगस्त्यः: Agastya
• अगस्त्यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अगस्त्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular), परस्मैपद

• अहो: ah! indeed
• अहो: Sambandha/Discourse particle (सम्बन्ध/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अहो (अव्यय)
• Form: विस्मयादिबोधक-निपात (exclamatory particle)

• धन्यतमा: most blessed
• धन्यतमा: Visheshana (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: धन्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन; तमप्-प्रत्ययान्त (superlative)

• बुद्धिः: intellect, understanding
• बुद्धिः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: बुद्धि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन

• तव: of you, your
• तव: Shashthi-sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठीसम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्वद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/6th), एकवचन; सर्वनाम (pronoun)

• जाता: has arisen, is born
• जाता: Kriya/State (क्रिया/अवस्था)
• Type: Verb
• Root: जन् (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; (born/has arisen)

• तपोधन: O treasure of austerity
• तपोधन: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तपोधन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-प्रथमा (Vocative), एकवचन

• दृश्यते: is seen, appears
• दृश्यते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन, आत्मनेपद; कर्मणि-प्रयोग (passive)

• येन: by which
• येन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• पृच्छा: you ask
• पृच्छा: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्रच्छ् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd person), एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• ते: for you, to you
• ते: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्वद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: चतुर्थी-विभक्ति (Dative/4th), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• हि: indeed
• हि: Discourse particle (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (emphatic particle)

• अयोध्या-महिमा-आश्रिता: resting on Ayodhya’s glory
• अयोध्या-महिमा-आश्रिता: Visheshana (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अयोध्या (प्रातिपदिक) + महिमा (प्रातिपदिक) + आश्रित (कृदन्त, √श्रि)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः) ‘अयोध्यायाः महिमा’ + ‘आश्रिता’ (dependent on)

Speaker

Agastya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Ayodhyā

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Śaunaka and sages (implied)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Agastya blesses Vyāsa’s intellect, acknowledging his question as anchored in Ayodhyā’s greatness; the teacher’s approving gaze sanctifies the forthcoming instruction.

Characters & Entities

• Agastya
• Ayodhyā

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

A sincere question about sacred places and dharma is itself meritorious and indicates awakened discernment (buddhi).

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Ayodhyā—its ‘mahimā’ is treated as the foundation for proper spiritual inquiry.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None directly here; it commends the inquiry that will lead to instructions on pilgrimage rites.