Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 45

Devanagari script

त्वद्गुणनिकरान्वक्तुं का शक्तिर्मानुषस्यास्य । वासुकिरपि न तावद्वक्तुं वदनसहस्रं भवेद्यस्य

Transliteration

tvadguṇanikarānvaktuṃ kā śaktirmānuṣasyāsya | vāsukirapi na tāvadvaktuṃ vadanasahasraṃ bhavedyasya

Translation

มนุษย์ผู้น้อยผู้นี้จะมีเรี่ยวแรงอันใดเล่าที่จะพรรณนาหมู่คุณของพระองค์? แม้พระวาสุกีก็มิอาจกล่าวได้ครบถ้วน ถึงจะมีพันปากก็ตาม

Word by Word

• त्वत्: your
• त्वत्: Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन; सर्वनाम (enclitic base ‘tvad-’)

• गुणनिकरान्: multitudes of qualities
• गुणनिकरान्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गुण (प्रातिपदिक) + निकर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (गुणानां निकराः)

• वक्तुम्: to speak
• वक्तुम्: Prayojana (Purpose/प्रयोजन)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु) → वक्तुम् (तुमुन्)
• Form: तुमुन्-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (infinitive)

• का: what (which)
• का: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; प्रश्नवाचक सर्वनाम

• शक्तिः: ability, power
• शक्तिः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शक्ति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• मानुषस्य: of a human
• मानुषस्य: Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मानुष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, एकवचन

• अस्य: of this (one)
• अस्य: Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• वासुकिः: Vāsuki
• वासुकिः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वासुकि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• अपि: even, also
• अपि: Modifier (Emphasis/अवधारण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (निपात)
• Form: सम्भावना/समुच्चय-अव्यय (also/even)

• न: not
• न: Modifier (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (निपात)
• Form: निषेध-निपात

• तावत्: to that extent
• तावत्: Modifier (Degree/परिमाण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तावत् (अव्यय/परिमाण)
• Form: परिमाण/अवधि-अव्यय (so much/that far)

• वक्तुम्: to speak
• वक्तुम्: Prayojana (Purpose/प्रयोजन)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु) → वक्तुम् (तुमुन्)
• Form: तुमुन्-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (infinitive)

• वदनसहस्रम्: a thousand mouths
• वदनसहस्रम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वदन (प्रातिपदिक) + सहस्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष/द्विगु (सहस्रं वदनानि)

• भवेत्: might be, would be
• भवेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• यस्य: whose
• यस्य: Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, षष्ठी, एकवचन; सर्वनाम

Speaker

Bhṛgu

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Bhṛgu speaks with folded hands, contrasting his human limitation with the cosmic serpent Vāsuki imagined with a thousand mouths, still unable to finish praising Śiva’s qualities.

Characters & Entities

• Bhṛgu
• Śiva
• Vāsuki

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Humility deepens devotion: the divine is immeasurable, and praise is offered not from adequacy but from love.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No tīrtha is specified; the verse is part of a hymn within the Revā Khaṇḍa narrative setting.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicit; it supports stotra-pāṭha as a devotional mode.