Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 38

Devanagari script

दशभिः केकराख्याश्च विद्युतोऽष्टाभिरेव च । चतुःषष्ट्या विशाखाश्च नवभिः पारियात्रिकाः

Transliteration

daśabhiḥ kekarākhyāśca vidyuto'ṣṭābhireva ca | catuḥṣaṣṭyā viśākhāśca navabhiḥ pāriyātrikāḥ

Translation

Les troupes dites Kekara vinrent par dizaines ; les troupes Vidyut (Éclair), par huit ; les Viśākha, au nombre de soixante-quatre ; et les Pāriyātrika, par neuf.

Word by Word

• दशभिः: with ten (by ten)
• दशभिः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे तृतीया (करण) बहुवचनम्; संख्याविशेषणम् (instrumental plural; numeral adjective)

• केकराख्याः: (those) named Kekara
• केकराख्याः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: केकर + आख्या (प्रातिपदिक; ‘आख्य’ = नामधेय)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे प्रथमा बहुवचनम्; नाम (one called Kekara)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-निपातः (conjunction)

• विद्युतः: lightnings; (ones called) Vidyut
• विद्युतः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विद्युत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे प्रथमा बहुवचनम् (Vedic/epic variant for विद्युतः = विद्युतः/विद्युतः as nom. pl.)

• अष्टाभिः: with eight (by eight)
• अष्टाभिः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अष्ट (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे तृतीया (करण) बहुवचनम्; संख्याविशेषणम् (instrumental plural; numeral adjective)

• एव: indeed/just
• एव: Sambandha (Emphasis/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारणार्थक-अव्ययम् (emphatic particle)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-निपातः (conjunction)

• चतुःषष्ट्या: by sixty-four
• चतुःषष्ट्या: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: चतुःषष्टि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे तृतीया (करण) एकवचनम्; संख्याविशेषणम् (instrumental singular; ‘by sixty-four’)

• विशाखाः: (those) called Viśākhā
• विशाखाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विशाखा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे प्रथमा बहुवचनम्; नाम (proper name/group name)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-निपातः (conjunction)

• नवभिः: with nine (by nine)
• नवभिः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: नव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे तृतीया (करण) बहुवचनम्; संख्याविशेषणम् (instrumental plural; numeral adjective)

• पारियात्रिकाः: the Pāriyātrikas
• पारियात्रिकाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पारियात्रिक (प्रातिपदिक; पारियात्र-सम्बन्धिन्)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे प्रथमा बहुवचनम्; जातिवाचक/नाम (people/gaṇas from Pāriyātra)

Speaker

Lomaharṣaṇa (Sūta), narrating to the sages

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A grand procession of Śiva’s gaṇas arriving in ordered companies: Kekara groups in tens, Vidyut-like hosts flashing in eights, Viśākha companies in sixty-four, and Pāriyātrika groups in nines—each with distinct banners, weapons, and supernatural physiognomies.

Characters & Entities

• Kekara (gaṇa-group)
• Vidyut (gaṇa-group)
• Viśākha (gaṇa-group)
• Pāriyātrika (gaṇa-group)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The divine order includes many specialized hosts—Śiva’s power expresses itself through countless named forces.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No tīrtha is praised directly; “Pāriyātrika” may hint at a regional association but the verse remains a muster-list.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it is a descriptive enumeration.