Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 51

Devanagari script

देवीनां कोटिकोटीभिः संवृता पिंगलेन च । तत्र स्थिता सदा रक्षां कुरुतेऽण्डस्य सा शुभा

Transliteration

devīnāṃ koṭikoṭībhiḥ saṃvṛtā piṃgalena ca | tatra sthitā sadā rakṣāṃ kurute'ṇḍasya sā śubhā

Translation

Entourée de crores et de crores de Déesses, et aussi de Piṅgala, cette Déesse de bon augure demeure là et protège sans cesse l’Œuf cosmique.

Word by Word

• devīnām: of goddesses
• devīnām: Sambandha (Genitive/षष्ठी-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: devī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), बहुवचन — genitive

• koṭi-koṭībhiḥ: by crores upon crores
• koṭi-koṭībhiḥ: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: koṭi + koṭi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), बहुवचन — instrumental; समास: कोटयश्च कोटयश्च (crores and crores)

• saṃvṛtā: surrounded
• saṃvṛtā: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sam-vṛ (धातु)
• Form: क्त (past passive participle), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — 'surrounded/covered'

• piṃgalena: by Piṅgala
• piṃgalena: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: piṃgala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), एकवचन — instrumental

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (समुच्चयबोधक-निपात)

• tatra: there
• tatra: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatra (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (देशवाचक) — locative adverb

• sthitā: standing
• sthitā: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sthā (धातु)
• Form: क्त (past passive participle), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — 'standing/remaining'

• sadā: always
• sadā: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sadā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (कालवाचक) — 'always'

• rakṣām: protection, guarding
• rakṣām: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rakṣā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन — accusative

• kurute: does, performs
• kurute: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kṛ (धातु)
• Form: लट् (present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद — 'does/makes'

• aṃḍasya: of the cosmic egg
• aṃḍasya: Sambandha (Genitive/षष्ठī-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: aṃḍa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), एकवचन — genitive

• sā: she
• sā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन — pronoun

• śubhā: auspicious, splendid
• śubhā: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śubhā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन — adjective agreeing with sā/devī

Speaker

Lomaharṣaṇa (Sūta) to the sages (deduced from Māheśvarakhaṇḍa narrative style)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Brahmāṇḍa-mūrdha-dvāra (Gaṅgā/Devī station)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: At the cosmic crown, the auspicious Goddess stands encircled by innumerable goddesses; Piṅgala stands nearby as a vigilant guardian, forming a radiant protective ring around the cosmic Egg.

Characters & Entities

• Devīs
• Piṅgala

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Divine order is safeguarded by Śakti—an auspicious protecting presence supported by innumerable divine powers.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No terrestrial holy site is mentioned; the focus is cosmic guardianship rather than local māhātmya.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; the verse is descriptive of divine protection and entourage.