Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 57

Devanagari script

चतुर्थः संवहो नाम स्थितो नक्षत्रमण्डले । वातरश्मिभिराबद्धं ध्रुवेण सह भ्राम्यते

Transliteration

caturthaḥ saṃvaho nāma sthito nakṣatramaṇḍale | vātaraśmibhirābaddhaṃ dhruveṇa saha bhrāmyate

Translation

والريحُ الرابعة تُعرَف بـ«سَمْفَها»، وتقيم في فلك المنازل القمرية. وبحبالٍ من أشعّة الريح تُوثِق ذلك الفلك، فتجعله يدور مع دْهْرُوفا، نجمِ القطب.

Word by Word

• caturthaḥ: the fourth
• caturthaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: caturtha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; क्रमवाचक विशेषण (Masculine, Nominative singular; ordinal adjective)

• saṃvahaḥ: Saṃvaha (name of a wind/force)
• saṃvahaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: saṃvaha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन (Masculine, Nominative singular)

• nāma: named
• nāma: Sambandha (Apposition marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: nāma (अव्यय)
• Form: नामनिर्देशक अव्यय (namely particle)

• sthitaḥ: situated
• sthitaḥ: Karta (Predicate/State)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: √sthā (स्था) (धातु) → sthita (कृदन्त, क्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (Masculine, Nominative singular; PPP)

• nakṣatramaṇḍale: in the sphere of stars
• nakṣatramaṇḍale: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nakṣatra (प्रातिपदिक) + maṇḍala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन (Neuter, Locative singular)

• vātaraśmibhiḥ: by wind-rays/streams of wind
• vātaraśmibhiḥ: Karaṇa (Instrument/Agent in passive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vāta (प्रातिपदिक) + raśmi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), बहुवचन (Feminine, Instrumental plural)

• ābaddham: tied/fastened
• ābaddham: Karma (Object in passive/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: √bandh (बन्ध्) (धातु) → ābaddha (कृदन्त, क्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; उपसर्गपूर्वक क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (Neuter singular; PPP)

• dhruveṇa: with/by Dhruva
• dhruveṇa: Sahakāraka/Karaṇa (Co-agent/Instrument)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dhruva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), एकवचन (Masculine, Instrumental singular)

• saha: together with
• saha: Sahārtha (Association)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: saha (अव्यय)
• Form: सहार्थक अव्यय (preposition-like indeclinable: 'together with')

• bhrāmyate: revolves
• bhrāmyate: Kriyā (Action/Verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √bhram (भ्रम्) (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपदम् (Present indicative, 3rd person singular, ātmanepada)

Speaker

Lomaharṣaṇa (Sūta), per Māheśvarakhaṇḍa narrative convention

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Nakṣatra-maṇḍala (conceptual)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A vast ring of nakṣatras revolving with Dhruva, bound by luminous ‘wind-ray’ cords, with Saṃvaha presiding as the sustaining wind.

Characters & Entities

• Saṃvaha
• Nakṣatra-maṇḍala
• Dhruva

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Cosmic order is upheld by unseen divine forces; contemplating this order cultivates reverence and steadiness like Dhruva.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific tīrtha is named; the verse belongs to a cosmological description within the Māheśvarakhaṇḍa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; the verse is descriptive, explaining the mechanism of celestial rotation.