Skanda Purana — Vishnu Khanda, Shloka 19

Devanagari script

अयोध्यासेवनान्नृणां फलं स्यात्सूत कीदृशम् । किं चरित्रं सूत तस्याः का नद्यः के च संगमाः

Transliteration

ayodhyāsevanānnṛṇāṃ phalaṃ syātsūta kīdṛśam | kiṃ caritraṃ sūta tasyāḥ kā nadyaḥ ke ca saṃgamāḥ

Translation

โอ้ท่านสูตะ ผลอันใดบังเกิดแก่ชนจากการรับใช้และไปนมัสการอโยธยา? ประวัติศักดิ์สิทธิ์ของนางคืออะไร และที่นั่นมีแม่น้ำใดกับสังฆมะ (จุดบรรจบ) ใดบ้าง

Word by Word

• अयोध्या-सेवनात्: from the service/visiting of Ayodhyā
• अयोध्या-सेवनात्: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अयोध्या (प्रातिपदिक) + सेवन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (5th/Ablative), एकवचन; समासः षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (अयोध्यायाः सेवनम्) तस्मात्

• नृणाम्: of men/people
• नृणाम्: Shashthi-sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन

• फलम्: result, fruit
• फलम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: फल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• स्यात्: would be / may be
• स्यात्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन

• सूत: O Sūta
• सूत: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सूत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative), एकवचन

• कीदृशम्: of what kind?
• कीदृशम्: Karta-predicative (Subject complement)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कीदृश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (फलम् इति)

• किम्: what?
• किम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Nom/Acc), एकवचन; प्रश्नवाचक सर्वनाम

• चरित्रम्: story, account, character
• चरित्रम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चरित्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Nom/Acc), एकवचन

• सूत: O Sūta
• सूत: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सूत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative), एकवचन

• तस्याः: of her/of it (Ayodhyā)
• तस्याः: Shashthi-sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• का: which?/what? (fem.)
• का: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; प्रश्नवाचक सर्वनाम

• नद्यः: rivers
• नद्यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नदी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन

• के: which?/what? (masc. pl.)
• के: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; प्रश्नवाचक सर्वनाम

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Conjunction)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-निपात (conjunction)

• संगमाः: confluences, meeting-places
• संगमाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: संगम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन

Speaker

Ṛṣis (sages)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Ayodhyā; Sarayū and associated saṅgamas (to be specified later)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Ṛṣis

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Sages ask Sūta about the fruits of serving Ayodhyā and about her sacred history, rivers, and confluences—evoking flowing waters and meeting streams near ghāṭas.

Characters & Entities

• Ayodhyā
• Sūta
• Rivers
• Saṅgamas (confluences)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pilgrimage is framed as ‘seva’—devotional engagement with a sacred place—yielding spiritual fruit when joined with reverence and understanding.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Ayodhyā as a whole, with interest in its rivers and saṅgamas that function as tīrthas.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Not a prescription, but the inquiry points toward pilgrimage practices tied to rivers and confluences.