Shloka 36

Devanagari script

मौर्यास्तु लक्षसंख्याता धौम्रा हि शतसंख्यकाः । असुराः कोटिसंख्याताः कालकेयास्तथैव च

Transliteration

mauryāstu lakṣasaṃkhyātā dhaumrā hi śatasaṃkhyakāḥ | asurāḥ koṭisaṃkhyātāḥ kālakeyāstathaiva ca

Translation

“The Mauryas were numbered in lakhs, the Dhūmras in hundreds; the Asuras were counted in crores, and so too the Kālakeyas.”

Word by Word

• मौर्याः: Mauryas (a class/tribe)
• मौर्याः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मौर्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन

• तु: indeed/but
• तु: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, अवधान/विरोधार्थक-निपात (particle: but/indeed)

• लक्षसंख्याताः: numbering a lakh
• लक्षसंख्याताः: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: लक्ष + संख्यात (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (लक्षेण संख्याताः = numbered by a lakh)

• धौम्राः: Dhaumras (a group)
• धौम्राः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धौम्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• हि: indeed/for
• हि: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, हेत्वर्थक/निश्चयार्थक-निपात (particle: for/indeed)

• शतसंख्यकाः: numbering a hundred
• शतसंख्यकाः: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शत + संख्यक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (शतेन संख्यकाः = numbering a hundred)

• असुराः: Asuras
• असुराः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: असुर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• कोटिसंख्याताः: numbering crores
• कोटिसंख्याताः: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कोटि + संख्यात (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (कोट्या संख्याताः = numbered by crores)

• कालकेयाः: Kālakeyas
• कालकेयाः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कालकेय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• तथा: thus/likewise
• तथा: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, प्रकारवाचक (manner adverb: thus/so)

• एव: indeed/just
• एव: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, अवधारणार्थक-निपात (emphatic particle: just/indeed)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, समुच्चयार्थक (conjunction)

Speaker

Sūta Gosvāmin (narrating to the sages at Naimiṣāraṇya)

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pashu

Shiva Form: Rudra

Characters & Entities

• Maurya warriors
• Dhūmra warriors
• Asuras
• Kālakeya demons

FAQs

What is the spiritual significance of this verse in the Shiva Purana?

By listing vast demonic hosts, the Purana emphasizes that sheer numbers and power cannot overcome dharma; in Shaiva Siddhanta, such forces symbolize pasha—binding tendencies like pride, violence, and delusion—ultimately subdued by the Lord’s grace and right order.

How does this verse relate to the worship of the Linga or Saguna Shiva?

In the Yuddha narrative, Saguna Shiva is the active protector who restrains chaos; devotion to Shiva—often centered on the Linga as the stable axis of consciousness—reminds the devotee that the Lord’s presence is the true refuge when worldly threats appear ‘countless.’

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

A practical takeaway is steadiness in japa of the Panchākṣarī (“Om Namaḥ Śivāya”) and simple Shiva-upāsanā (Linga worship with bhasma/tripuṇḍra and rudrākṣa), cultivating fearlessness and inner restraint when confronting overwhelming impulses.