Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 22

Devanagari script

दिनकृद्दिनहृन्मौनी सुरथो रथिनांवरः । राज्ञीपतिः स्वर्णरेताः पूषा त्वष्टा दिवाकरः

Transliteration

dinakṛddinahṛnmaunī suratho rathināṃvaraḥ | rājñīpatiḥ svarṇaretāḥ pūṣā tvaṣṭā divākaraḥ

Translation

Er ist der Schöpfer des Tages und der Vertreiber der Tagesfinsternis; der schweigende Muni; Suratha, der glückverheißende Wagenlenker, der Beste unter den Fahrern; Herr der Rājñī (der souveränen Macht), von goldenem Samen und goldenem Glanz; Pūṣan, der Nährende; Tvaṣṭṛ, der göttliche Kunsthandwerker; und Divākara, der Spender des Tageslichts.

Word by Word

• dinakṛt: maker of the day
• dinakṛt: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dina (प्रातिपदिक) + kṛt (कृदन्त/प्रातिपदिक; √kṛ (धातु) + kvip)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; उपपद-तत्पुरुष (dinaṃ karoti iti)

• dinahṛt: taker of the day (bringer of night)
• dinahṛt: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dina (प्रातिपदिक) + hṛt (कृदन्त/प्रातिपदिक; √hṛ (धातु) + kvip)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; उपपद-तत्पुरुष (dinaṃ harati iti)

• maunī: silent; observing silence
• maunī: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mauna (प्रातिपदिक) + in (प्रत्यय)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; 'मौन' गुणयुक्त (silent/ascetic)

• surathaḥ: having a good chariot
• surathaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: su- (उपसर्ग) + ratha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; उपसर्गपूर्वक प्रातिपदिक

• rathinām: of charioteers
• rathinām: Sambandha (Genitive/षष्ठी-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rathin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन

• varaḥ: best
• varaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; (पूर्वपद-सम्बन्धेन) 'श्रेष्ठः'

• rājñīpatiḥ: lord of the queen
• rājñīpatiḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rājñī (प्रातिपदिक) + pati (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (rājñyāḥ patiḥ)

• svarṇaretāḥ: having golden seed/essence
• svarṇaretāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: svarṇa (प्रातिपदिक) + retas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्मधारय (svarṇaṃ retaḥ yasya / golden-semen)

• pūṣā: Pūṣan
• pūṣā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pūṣan (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; pūṣan-शब्दस्य प्रथमा एकवचन (अनुनासिक-लोप)

• tvaṣṭā: Tvaṣṭṛ
• tvaṣṭā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tvaṣṭṛ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ऋ-प्रातिपदिक (tvaṣṭṛ) का प्रथमा एकवचन

• divākaraḥ: maker of daytime; Sun
• divākaraḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: divā (प्रातिपदिक) + kara (प्रातिपदिक; √kṛ (धातु) + a)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; उपपद-तत्पुरुष (divāṃ karoti iti)

Speaker

Lomaharṣaṇa (Sūta) to the sages (deduced from Māheśvarakhaṇḍa context)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Sūrya as the charioteer-lord: a splendid chariot emerging at dawn, darkness receding; the deity is paradoxically ‘silent’—calm gaze, still posture—while motion and light surge outward.

Characters & Entities

• Bhānu (Sun)
• Pūṣan
• Tvaṣṭṛ
• Divākara

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The Sun is praised as the cosmic regulator who dispels darkness outwardly and inwardly, sustaining dharma through light and order.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No single tīrtha is named in this verse; it functions as a nāma-stuti (name-hymn) within the Kaumārikākhaṇḍa’s devotional framing.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No direct ritual is stated here; the implied practice is nāma-japa or stotra-pāṭha of Sūrya’s names for merit and auspiciousness.