Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 26
विंशतिश्च तथा कोट्यो नक्षत्राणां प्रकीर्तिताः । द्वे लक्षे चोत्तरे तस्माद्बुधो नक्षत्रमण्डलात्
viṃśatiśca tathā koṭyo nakṣatrāṇāṃ prakīrtitāḥ | dve lakṣe cottare tasmādbudho nakṣatramaṇḍalāt
Et l’on proclame vingt crores d’étoiles. À deux lakhs de yojanas au-delà de cette sphère étoilée se trouve Budha (Mercure), au-delà de l’orbite des constellations.
Lomaharṣaṇa (Sūta) to the sages (deduced)
Scene: A vast starry ring containing innumerable lights; beyond it, a smaller luminous sphere marking Budha’s region, suggesting a stepwise ascent through cosmic layers.
FAQs
The Purāṇic cosmos is narrated as vast yet intelligible, encouraging reverence for the divine order underlying time, planets, and destiny.
No tīrtha is mentioned; this is a planetary/cosmological placement statement.
None directly; the broader passage supports sun- and time-oriented dharma such as sandhyā worship.