Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 69

Devanagari script

एताश्चान्याश्च बह्व्यश्च मातरो भरतर्षभ । बहुलत्वादहं तासां न संख्यातुमिहोत्सहे

Transliteration

etāścānyāśca bahvyaśca mātaro bharatarṣabha | bahulatvādahaṃ tāsāṃ na saṃkhyātumihotsahe

Translation

มารดาทั้งหลายเหล่านี้ และอีกมากมายนัก โอ้ผู้ประเสริฐในหมู่ภารตะ (ภรตฤษภะ) ล้วนหาประมาณมิได้; ด้วยความไพศาลแห่งจำนวน ข้าพเจ้าไม่อาจอุตสาหะนับแจกแจงไว้ ณ ที่นี้ได้.

Word by Word

• एताः: these (feminine plural)
• एताः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन (these)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (conjunction)

• अन्याः: other
• अन्याः: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अन्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय

• बह्व्यः: many
• बह्व्यः: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: बहु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; बहु-शब्दस्य स्त्री-बहुवचन-रूपम्

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय

• मातरः: mothers
• मातरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मातृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• भरत-ऋषभ: O bull among the Bharatas
• भरत-ऋषभ: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भरत (प्रातिपदिक) + ऋषभ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (bull among the Bharatas)

• बहुलत्वात्: because of multitude/abundance
• बहुलत्वात्: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: बहुलत्व (प्रातिपदिक; from बहुल + त्व)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (Ablative/5th), एकवचन

• अहम्: I
• अहम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तमपुरुष-सर्वनाम, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• तासाम्: of them
• तासाम्: Sambandha (Possessor/षष्ठी-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/6th), बहुवचन

• न: not
• न: Pratiṣedha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-अव्यय (negation particle)

• संख्यातुम्: to count/enumerate
• संख्यातुम्: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम् + √ख्या (धातु)
• Form: तुमुन्-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (infinitive), परस्मैपदी; अर्थः—कर्तुम् (to do)

• इह: here
• इह: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इह (अव्यय)
• Form: देश-अव्यय (adverb of place: here)

• उत्सहे: I am able/dare; I undertake
• उत्सहे: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: उत् + √सह् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), उत्तमपुरुष (1st person), एकवचन; आत्मनेपद (Ātmanepada)

Speaker

Lomaharṣaṇa (Sūta), narrating to the sages

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Bhārata-ṛṣabha (a foremost of the Bhāratas)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The narrator pauses, gesturing to an endless horizon of Mothers fading into the cosmic background—countless forms extending beyond the frame; the listener (Bhārata-śreṣṭha) stands in reverent awe.

Characters & Entities

• Mātṛs (Mother-goddesses)
• Bhārata lineage (addressed as Bharatarṣabha)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Divine powers are beyond human counting; humility before the vastness of Śakti is itself a mark of right understanding.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No tīrtha is referenced; the focus is the immeasurable multitude of the Mothers.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it is a narrative aside about the impossibility of full enumeration.