Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 80

Devanagari script

मेरुं प्रदक्षिणीकुर्यान्नित्यमेव दिवाकरः । सग्रहर्क्षगणो नूनं मन्यमानो बलाधिकम्

Transliteration

meruṃ pradakṣiṇīkuryānnityameva divākaraḥ | sagraharkṣagaṇo nūnaṃ manyamāno balādhikam

Translation

Assurément le Soleil, suivi des cohortes des planètes et des constellations, fait chaque jour la circumambulation du mont Méru, le tenant pour supérieur en puissance.

Word by Word

• मेरुम्: Mount Meru
• मेरुम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मेरु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (कर्म), एकवचन — Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• प्रदक्षिणी: in circumambulation / around
• प्रदक्षिणी: Kriya-visheshaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: प्रदक्षिणी (प्रातिपदिक; अव्ययीभाव-समासाधारित-भाव)
• Form: अव्यय (क्रियाविशेषण) — Indeclinable adverbial element meaning ‘in circumambulation’

• कुर्यात्: would do / should perform
• कुर्यात्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद — Optative, 3rd person, Singular, Parasmaipada

• नित्यम्: always
• नित्यम्: Kriya-visheshaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नित्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (कालवाचक क्रियाविशेषण) — Indeclinable adverb of time

• एव: indeed / only
• एव: Sambandha/Emphasis (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (निपात)
• Form: निपात (अवधारण) — Particle of emphasis

• दिवाकरः: the Sun
• दिवाकरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दिवाकर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन — Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• स: with
• स: Karta (Subject-qualifier/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन — Masculine, Nominative, Singular; विशेषणरूपेण (with-)

• ग्रह: planet
• ग्रह: Compound-member
• Type: Noun
• Root: ग्रह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समासाङ्ग (पूर्वपद) — compound member ‘planet’

• ऋक्ष: star/constellation
• ऋक्ष: Compound-member
• Type: Noun
• Root: ऋक्ष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समासाङ्ग (मध्यपद) — compound member ‘star/constellation’

• गणः: the group of planets and stars
• गणः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन — Masculine, Nominative, Singular; समासः: ग्रह+ऋक्ष (द्वन्द्व) + गण (तत्पुरुष-सम्बन्ध) → ‘ग्रह-ऋक्ष-गण’

• नूनम्: surely
• नूनम्: Kriya-visheshaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नूनम् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (निश्चयार्थक) — Indeclinable of certainty

• मन्यमानः: thinking / considering
• मन्यमानः: Karta (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: मन् (धातु) + शानच् (कृदन्त)
• Form: वर्तमानकालिक कर्तरि शानच्-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (Present active participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — Masc. Nom. Sg.

• बलाधिकम्: superior in strength
• बलाधिकम्: Karma (Object-complement/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: बल (प्रातिपदिक) + अधिक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन — Neuter, Accusative, Singular; समासः: बलस्य अधिकम् (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष)

Speaker

Narrative voice (contextual; within Kāśīkhaṇḍa often Skanda’s discourse)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A radiant Sūrya in a golden chariot, encircled by the nine grahas and a halo of nakṣatras, moving in reverent pradakṣiṇā around the towering, jewel-like Meru rising at the world’s center.

Characters & Entities

• Meru
• Divākara (Sūrya)
• Grahas
• Ṛkṣas (constellations)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Cosmic order is upheld through reverence for higher principles—symbolized by the Sun honoring Meru’s primacy.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No single tīrtha is named in this verse; it uses Mount Meru as a cosmic reference within the Kāśī-khaṇḍa narrative frame.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly; the verse employs pradakṣiṇā as a cosmic metaphor rather than prescribing a rite.