Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 26

Devanagari script

विंशतिश्च तथा कोट्यो नक्षत्राणां प्रकीर्तिताः । द्वे लक्षे चोत्तरे तस्माद्बुधो नक्षत्रमण्डलात्

Transliteration

viṃśatiśca tathā koṭyo nakṣatrāṇāṃ prakīrtitāḥ | dve lakṣe cottare tasmādbudho nakṣatramaṇḍalāt

Translation

Und es wird verkündet, dass es zwanzig Krore Sterne gibt. Zwei Lakh Yojanas jenseits jener Sternensphäre liegt Budha (Merkur), außerhalb der Bahn der Sternbilder.

Word by Word

• विंशतिः: twenty
• विंशतिः: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विंशति (प्रातिपदिक; संख्या)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; संख्याशब्दः

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-निपात (conjunction)

• तथा: likewise
• तथा: Sambandha (Manner)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रकारवाचक-अव्यय (adverb: likewise)

• कोट्यः: crores
• कोट्यः: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कोटि (प्रातिपदिक; संख्या)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन

• नक्षत्राणाम्: of stars/asterisms
• नक्षत्राणाम्: Sambandha (Genitive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नक्षत्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन

• प्रकीर्तिताः: are declared/mentioned
• प्रकीर्तिताः: Kriyā (Predicate as participle)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कीर्त् (धातु) + प्र (उपसर्ग) → प्रकीर्तित (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (past passive participle), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; (कोट्यः इति विशेष्यस्य)

• द्वे: two
• द्वे: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: द्वि (प्रातिपदिक; संख्या)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), द्विवचन; संख्याविशेषण

• लक्षे: in/at (a measure of) lakhs
• लक्षे: Adhikaraṇa (Measure/Extent)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लक्ष (प्रातिपदिक; संख्या)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), द्विवचन/एकवचन-प्रयोगसन्देह; अर्थतः ‘द्वे लक्षे’ = two lakhs (measure)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-निपात (conjunction)

• उत्तरे: further/above
• उत्तरे: Adhikaraṇa (Location/Extent)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: उत्तर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; विशेषण (in the further/upper)

• तस्मात्: from that
• तस्मात्: Apādāna (Source)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, पञ्चमी (5th/Ablative), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• बुधः: Mercury (Budha)
• बुधः: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: बुध (प्रातिपदिक; ग्रह-नाम)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• नक्षत्रमण्डलात्: from the constellation-sphere
• नक्षत्रमण्डलात्: Apādāna (Source)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नक्षत्र + मण्डल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास; नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/Ablative), एकवचन

Speaker

Lomaharṣaṇa (Sūta) to the sages (deduced)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A vast starry ring containing innumerable lights; beyond it, a smaller luminous sphere marking Budha’s region, suggesting a stepwise ascent through cosmic layers.

Characters & Entities

• Nakṣatras
• Budha (Mercury)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The Purāṇic cosmos is narrated as vast yet intelligible, encouraging reverence for the divine order underlying time, planets, and destiny.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No tīrtha is mentioned; this is a planetary/cosmological placement statement.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None directly; the broader passage supports sun- and time-oriented dharma such as sandhyā worship.