Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 47

Devanagari script

नीलो नवत्या सप्तत्या चतुर्वक्त्रश्च पूर्वपात् । वीरभद्रश्चश्चतुःषष्ट्या करणो बालकस्तथा

Transliteration

nīlo navatyā saptatyā caturvaktraśca pūrvapāt | vīrabhadraścaścatuḥṣaṣṭyā karaṇo bālakastathā

Translation

Nīla vint avec quatre-vingt-dix ; (un autre) avec soixante-dix ; et Caturvaktra arriva de l’Orient. Vīrabhadra vint avec soixante-quatre ; de même Karaṇa et Bālaka.

Word by Word

• नीलः: Nīla (a name)
• नीलः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नील (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

• नवत्या: by/with ninety
• नवत्या: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नवति (संख्याप्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental), एकवचन (Singular)

• सप्तत्या: by/with seventy
• सप्तत्या: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सप्तति (संख्याप्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental), एकवचन (Singular)

• चतुर्वक्त्रः: Caturvaktra (a name; 'four-faced')
• चतुर्वक्त्रः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चतुर्वक्त्र (प्रातिपदिक; चतुर् + वक्त्र)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

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

• पूर्वपात्: Pūrvapāt (a name)
• पूर्वपात्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पूर्वपात् (प्रातिपदिक; पूर्व + पात्)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन (Singular); रूपम्—प्रातिपदिकान्त 'पात्' (irregular stem)

• वीरभद्रः: Vīrabhadra (a name)
• वीरभद्रः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वीरभद्र (प्रातिपदिक; वीर + भद्र)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

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

• चतुःषष्ट्या: by/with sixty-four
• चतुःषष्ट्या: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चतुःषष्टि (संख्याप्रातिपदिक; चतुः + षष्टि)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental), एकवचन (Singular)

• करणः: Karaṇa (a name)
• करणः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: करण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

• बालकः: Bālaka (a name; 'boy/child')
• बालकः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: बालक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

• तथा: likewise/also
• तथा: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अव्यय-प्रकारः—समुच्चय/उपपद (particle: 'also/likewise')

Speaker

Lomaharṣaṇa (Sūta), narrating to the sages (deduced from Māheśvarakhaṇḍa context)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Nīla with ninety, another leader with seventy, Caturvaktra arriving from the east, and Vīrabhadra with sixty-four—followed by Karaṇa and Bālaka with sixty-four—forming a dramatic tableau of directional arrival and the prominence of Vīrabhadra as a fearsome commander.

Characters & Entities

• Nīla
• Caturvaktra
• Vīrabhadra
• Karaṇa
• Bālaka
• Gaṇas
• Pūrva (East)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Śiva’s sovereignty is shown as universal—his attendants gather from all directions, reflecting cosmic order and protection for devotees.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific tīrtha is identified in this verse; it is part of a broader Śaiva descriptive passage.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; the focus is on the assembly of gaṇas and their numbers.