Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 73
सुखिनो दुःखिनश्चैव प्राणिनः शास्त्रदर्शिनः । अष्टाविंशतिलक्षैश्च गुणमेकैकमीश्वरः
sukhino duḥkhinaścaiva prāṇinaḥ śāstradarśinaḥ | aṣṭāviṃśatilakṣaiśca guṇamekaikamīśvaraḥ
Los seres son vistos como felices y desdichados, y también como quienes contemplan la enseñanza de los śāstras. Y el Señor (Īśvara) distribuyó cada guṇa, uno por uno, en medidas contadas en veintiocho lakhs, como una vasta repartición entre las criaturas.
Lomaharṣaṇa (Sūta) (deduced from Māheśvarakhaṇḍa narrative convention)
Scene: A cosmic tableau: Īśvara overseeing a vast field of beings, each marked with subtle color-coding of guṇas; some hold scriptures (śāstra-darśin), others are caught in pleasure/pain cycles.
FAQs
Diversity of experience—happiness, suffering, and spiritual insight—arises within a vast cosmic distribution governed by Īśvara and shaped by guṇas.
No tīrtha is praised in this verse; it discusses cosmic classification of beings.
No ritual instruction appears; the focus is on understanding creation through śāstra and guṇa theory.