Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 17

Devanagari script

षडशीतिसहस्राणि योजनानां समुच्छ्रये । तदर्धं तु पृथक्त्वेन काञ्चनं रत्नभूषितम्

Transliteration

ṣaḍaśītisahasrāṇi yojanānāṃ samucchraye | tadardhaṃ tu pṛthaktvena kāñcanaṃ ratnabhūṣitam

Translation

Sa hauteur s’élevait à quatre-vingt-six mille yojanas ; et, pour la largeur, la moitié de cette mesure : elle se dressait à part, d’or et parée de joyaux.

Word by Word

• ṣaḍaśīti-sahasrāṇi: eighty-six thousand
• ṣaḍaśīti-sahasrāṇi: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ṣaḍaśīti (संख्याप्रातिपदिक) + sahasra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: द्विगु-समास (षडशीतिः सहस्राणि = 86,000), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, बहुवचन; संख्यावाचक

• yojanānām: of yojanas (leagues)
• yojanānām: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yojana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (Genitive/सम्बन्ध), बहुवचन

• samucchraye: in height/elevation
• samucchraye: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sam-ud-√śri (श्रि) / samucchraya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (Locative/अधिकरण), एकवचन; 'in height/elevation' (समुच्छ्रये)

• tat: that
• tat: Sambandha (Reference/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (with ardham)

• ardham: half
• ardham: Karma (Measure/object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ardha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• tu: but/indeed
• tu: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (contrast/emphasis)

• pṛthaktvena: separately/distinctly
• pṛthaktvena: Sambandha (Manner/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pṛthaktva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (Instrumental/करण), एकवचन; भाववाचक (as an adverbial instrumental: 'separately')

• kāñcanam: golden
• kāñcanam: Karma (Object-qualifier/कर्मविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kāñcana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (qualifying implicit vastu/gṛham/śilā etc. contextually)

• ratna-bhūṣitam: adorned with jewels
• ratna-bhūṣitam: Karma (Object-qualifier/कर्मविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ratna (प्रातिपदिक) + bhūṣita (कृदन्त; √bhūṣ (भूष्))
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (रत्नैः भूषितम्), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषणम्

Speaker

Unspecified narrator (addressing a king)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: A king (rājasattama)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A colossal golden, jewel-studded mansion towering to 86,000 yojanas, half as wide—standing apart in radiant splendor, dwarfing the viewer.

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The Purāṇas use cosmic scale to convey the immeasurable majesty of the divine and the transcendence of worldly standards.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific tirtha is named in this verse; it supports the Revā Khaṇḍa’s wider praise of the Revā (Narmadā) sacred landscape.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; the verse focuses on cosmic description rather than ritual instruction.