Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 21

Devanagari script

वृषभे रोमसंख्या या सर्वाङ्गेषु नराधिप । तावद्वर्षप्रमाणं तु शिवलोके महीयते

Transliteration

vṛṣabhe romasaṃkhyā yā sarvāṅgeṣu narādhipa | tāvadvarṣapramāṇaṃ tu śivaloke mahīyate

Translation

Hỡi bậc quân vương, số lông trên khắp thân bò đực là bao nhiêu, thì bấy nhiêu năm người ấy được tôn vinh và đề cao nơi Śivaloka.

Word by Word

• वृषभे: in/on the bull
• वृषभे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वृषभ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• रोमसंख्या: the number of hairs
• रोमसंख्या: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रोमन्-संख्या (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; समासः: रोम्णां संख्या (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष)

• या: which
• या: Karta (Relative subject/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक (relative pronoun)

• सर्वाङ्गेषु: in all the limbs
• सर्वाङ्गेषु: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्व-अङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), बहुवचन; समासः: सर्वाणि अङ्गानि (कर्मधारय/तत्पुरुष-प्राय)

• नराधिप: O king (lord of men)
• नराधिप: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर-अधिप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th/Vocative), एकवचन; समासः: नराणाम् अधिपः (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष)

• तावत्: so much/that many
• तावत्: Avyaya (Measure/परिमाण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तावत् (अव्यय/प्रातिपदिक-प्रयोग)
• Form: परिमाणवाचक-अव्यय (correlative adverb: so much/that many)

• वर्षप्रमाणम्: a measure in years (duration)
• वर्षप्रमाणम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वर्ष-प्रमाण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; समासः: वर्षाणां प्रमाणम् (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष)

• तु: indeed/and
• तु: Avyaya (Particle/अव्यय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle)

• शिवलोके: in Śiva’s world
• शिवलोके: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शिव-लोक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; समासः: शिवस्य लोकः (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष)

• महीयते: is honored/is exalted
• महीयते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: मह् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; आत्मनेपद; कर्मणि/भावे प्रयोग (passive/impersonal sense)

Speaker

Mārkaṇḍeya (to Yudhiṣṭhira)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Gopāreśvara

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Yudhiṣṭhira

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A visionary tableau: the donated bull’s body is shown with shimmering hairs transforming into countless years, while the donor is depicted being welcomed into Śiva-loka—radiant attendants, celestial architecture, and Śiva’s realm symbolism.

Characters & Entities

• Śiva
• Yudhiṣṭhira

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Devotion to Śiva-linked tīrthas yields vast, long-lasting spiritual honor, described through an immeasurable time-metaphor.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

This verse occurs in the Gopāreśvara-māhātmya stream within Revā Khaṇḍa, connected to Śaiva sanctity along the Narmadā.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No specific rite is stated in this verse; it declares the scale of the resulting merit (phala).