Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 166

Devanagari script

धनदश्च ध्रुवादीनां सप्तकानर्चयंत्यमी । नदीनां संगमस्तत्र वैकुंठसमुपह्वरे

Transliteration

dhanadaśca dhruvādīnāṃ saptakānarcayaṃtyamī | nadīnāṃ saṃgamastatra vaikuṃṭhasamupahvare

Translation

And Dhanada (Kubera) too—these worship the sevenfold groups beginning with Dhruva. There, in the lofty precinct near Vaikuṇṭha, lies the confluence of the rivers.

Word by Word

• dhanadaḥ: Kubera (giver of wealth)
• dhanadaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dhanada (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

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

• dhruva-ādīnām: of Dhruva and others
• dhruva-ādīnām: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dhruva + ādi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन; ‘ध्रुव-आदि’ = ध्रुवः आदिः येषाम् (of Dhruva and others)

• saptakān: the groups of seven (septads)
• saptakān: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: saptaka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), बहुवचन

• arcayanti: they worship
• arcayanti: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: arc (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन

• amī: these (those here)
• amī: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: adas (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; सर्वनाम

• nadīnām: of rivers
• nadīnām: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nadī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन

• saṃgamaḥ: confluence
• saṃgamaḥ: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: saṃgama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• tatra: there
• tatra: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatra (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (locative adverb)

• vaikuṃṭha-samupahvare: in the region near Vaikuṇṭha
• vaikuṃṭha-samupahvare: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vaikuṃṭha + samupahvara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; ‘वैकुण्ठस्य समुपह्वरः’ (in the vicinity/valley near Vaikuṇṭha)

Speaker

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

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Vaikuṇṭha-samupahvara-sangama (as described)

Type: sangam

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A high, luminous ravine-like precinct ‘near Vaikuṇṭha’ where two or more rivers meet; Kubera (Dhanada) and celestial worshippers offer flowers and lamps to a sevenfold set of radiant presences, with the sangama shimmering below.

Characters & Entities

• Dhanada (Kubera)
• Dhruva
• Vaikuṇṭha
• Nadī-saṅgama (river confluence)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Even exalted beings honor the sevenfold sacred order, and the river-confluence is portrayed as a near-heavenly (Vaikuṇṭha-like) locus of merit.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

A river confluence described as being near a “Vaikuṇṭha” elevated precinct; the exact modern identification is not given in this verse alone.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Arcana (worship/honoring) of the ‘saptaka’ groups is indicated, implying reverential rites at/for the tīrtha.