Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 40

Devanagari script

भूमिसूर्यांतरं तच्च भुवर्लोकः प्रकीर्तितः । ध्रुवसूर्यांतरं तच्च नियुतानि चतुर्दश

Transliteration

bhūmisūryāṃtaraṃ tacca bhuvarlokaḥ prakīrtitaḥ | dhruvasūryāṃtaraṃ tacca niyutāni caturdaśa

Translation

The interval between the Earth and the Sun is declared to be Bhuvarloka. And the interval between Dhruva and the Sun is said to be fourteen niyutas.

Word by Word

• bhūmi-sūrya-antaraṃ: the distance between earth and the sun
• bhūmi-sūrya-antaraṃ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhūmi (प्रातिपदिक) + sūrya (प्रातिपदिक) + antara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; ‘भूमेः सूर्यस्य च अन्तरम्’ (distance between earth and sun)

• tat: that
• tat: Anuvṛtti / Deictic (Reference/अनुवृत्ति)
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; संकेतक

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Conjunction/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• bhuvar-lokaḥ: Bhuvarloka
• bhuvar-lokaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhuvar (प्रातिपदिक) + loka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; ‘भुवः लोकः’

• prakīrtitaḥ: is declared
• prakīrtitaḥ: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa / Predicative (Predicate adjective/विधेय)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pra-√kīrt (कीर्त्, धातु) → prakīrtita (कृदन्त, क्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त

• dhruva-sūrya-antaraṃ: the distance between Dhruva and the sun
• dhruva-sūrya-antaraṃ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dhruva (प्रातिपदिक) + sūrya (प्रातिपदिक) + antara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; ‘ध्रुवस्य सूर्यस्य च अन्तरम्’ (distance between Dhruva and the sun)

• tat: that
• tat: Anuvṛtti / Deictic (Reference/अनुवृत्ति)
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Conjunction/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• niyutāni: niyutas (units of large number)
• niyutāni: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: niyuta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), बहुवचन; संख्यावाचक-परिमाण (a large number; ‘niyuta’ = ten-thousand/lakh depending on tradition)

• caturdaśa: fourteen
• caturdaśa: Viśeṣaṇa (Numeral qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: caturdaśa (संख्याप्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययवत् संख्याशब्दः; ‘चतुर्दश’ = 14; ‘niyutāni’ इति विशेष्यस्य संख्या

Speaker

Lomaharṣaṇa (Sūta) to the sages (deduced from Māheśvara-khaṇḍa framing)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Bhuvarloka (antarikṣa)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A vertical cosmic axis: Earth below, Sun above, Dhruva as the fixed star; annotated distances in niyutas; sages pointing to the axis.

Characters & Entities

• Bhūmi (Earth)
• Sūrya (Sun)
• Bhuvarloka
• Dhruva
• Niyuta

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

By mapping the cosmos in sacred terms, it frames creation as a meaningful hierarchy rather than a random expanse.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No pilgrimage site is mentioned; the verse defines Bhuvarloka through cosmic distances.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; the content is numerical/cosmographic.