Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 61

Devanagari script

तारा ग्रहगणाः सर्वे ये च वैमानिका गणाः । शिवासहस्रैराकीर्णा महामातृगणैस्तथा

Transliteration

tārā grahagaṇāḥ sarve ye ca vaimānikā gaṇāḥ | śivāsahasrairākīrṇā mahāmātṛgaṇaistathā

Translation

Toutes les étoiles et les cohortes des planètes, ainsi que les compagnies célestes qui vont en chars aériens, étaient serrées de milliers de Śiva, et pareillement des troupes des Grandes Mères.

Word by Word

• tārāḥ: stars
• tārāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tārā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन

• grahagaṇāḥ: groups of planets
• grahagaṇāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: graha (प्रातिपदिक) + gaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (grahāṇāṃ gaṇāḥ)

• sarve: all
• sarve: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva (सर्व-प्रातिपदिक/सर्वनाम)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; विशेषण (grahagaṇāḥ इत्यस्य)

• ye: who/which
• ye: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (यद्-सर्वनाम)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक-यत् (relative pronoun)

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

• vaimānikāḥ: celestial beings (of aerial cars)
• vaimānikāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vaimānika (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन

• gaṇāḥ: groups
• gaṇāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन

• śivāsahasraiḥ: with thousands of Śivas
• śivāsahasraiḥ: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śiva (प्रातिपदिक) + sahasra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (śivānāṃ sahasraiḥ)

• ākīrṇāḥ: filled, crowded
• ākīrṇāḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ā-√kṝ (कॄ, विकिरणे) + kta (क्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (past passive participle); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; विशेषण (gaṇāḥ इत्यस्य)

• mahāmātṛgaṇaiḥ: with the great mother-groups (Mātṛs)
• mahāmātṛgaṇaiḥ: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahā (प्रातिपदिक) + mātṛ (प्रातिपदिक) + gaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन; कर्मधारय/तत्पुरुष-समास (mahā-mātṛ-gaṇaiḥ = great mother-groups)

• tathā: likewise, also
• tathā: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tathā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb)

Speaker

Mārkaṇḍeya (narration; implied from immediate context)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā (Narmadā) kṣetra (contextual)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A vast night-sky mandala: stars and planets personified, vimānas drifting, and innumerable Śiva-forms intermingled with the Great Mothers (Mātṛkās), filling the firmament like a living tapestry.

Characters & Entities

• Tārā (stars)
• Grahagaṇa (planets)
• Vaimānika beings
• Śiva (hosts/forms)
• Mahāmātṛgaṇa (Mātṛkās)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

In times of cosmic crisis, divine powers (Śiva and the Mātṛkās) pervade the worlds—signifying that ultimate governance belongs to the Divine.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

None; the verse expands the scene to a cosmic scale, emphasizing Śaiva and Śākta divine presence.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it is a visionary description of celestial and divine hosts.