Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 73

Devanagari script

सुखिनो दुःखिनश्चैव प्राणिनः शास्त्रदर्शिनः । अष्टाविंशतिलक्षैश्च गुणमेकैकमीश्वरः

Transliteration

sukhino duḥkhinaścaiva prāṇinaḥ śāstradarśinaḥ | aṣṭāviṃśatilakṣaiśca guṇamekaikamīśvaraḥ

Translation

Les êtres sont vus comme heureux et malheureux, et aussi comme ceux qui discernent l’enseignement des śāstras. Et le Seigneur (Īśvara) a réparti chaque guṇa, un à un, en mesures comptées à vingt-huit lakhs, comme une immense distribution parmi les créatures.

Word by Word

• सुखिनः: happy
• सुखिनः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सुखिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/कर्ता), बहुवचन; विशेषणम् (qualifying ‘प्राणिनः’)

• दुःखिनः: unhappy/suffering
• दुःखिनः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दुःखिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/कर्ता), बहुवचन; विशेषणम् (qualifying ‘प्राणिनः’)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Conjunction/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-बोधक अव्यय (conjunction)

• एव: indeed
• एव: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (emphasis)

• प्राणिनः: living beings
• प्राणिनः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्राणिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/कर्ता), बहुवचन

• शास्त्रदर्शिनः: seeing/knowing the scriptures
• शास्त्रदर्शिनः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शास्त्र + दर्शिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/कर्ता), बहुवचन; समासः—शास्त्रदर्शिन् (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः: ‘शास्त्रस्य दर्शी’); विशेषणम् (qualifying ‘प्राणिनः’)

• अष्टाविंशतिलक्षैः: by twenty-eight lakhs (in number)
• अष्टाविंशतिलक्षैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अष्टाविंशति + लक्ष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुंलिङ्ग-समाहार, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/करण), बहुवचन; समासः—अष्टाविंशतिलक्ष (द्विगु: ‘अष्टाविंशतिः लक्षाणि’ = twenty-eight lakhs)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Conjunction/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-बोधक अव्यय (conjunction)

• गुणम्: quality
• गुणम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गुण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/कर्म), एकवचन

• एकैकम्: each one (individually)
• एकैकम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: एक + एक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/कर्म), एकवचन; समासः—एकैक (इतरेतर-द्वन्द्वः: ‘एकं च एकं च’ → distributive ‘each single’); विशेषणम् (qualifying ‘गुणम्’)

• ईश्वरः: the Lord
• ईश्वरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ईश्वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/कर्ता), एकवचन

Speaker

Lomaharṣaṇa (Sūta) (deduced from Māheśvarakhaṇḍa narrative convention)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A cosmic tableau: Īśvara overseeing a vast field of beings, each marked with subtle color-coding of guṇas; some hold scriptures (śāstra-darśin), others are caught in pleasure/pain cycles.

Characters & Entities

• Īśvara

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Diversity of experience—happiness, suffering, and spiritual insight—arises within a vast cosmic distribution governed by Īśvara and shaped by guṇas.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No tīrtha is praised in this verse; it discusses cosmic classification of beings.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No ritual instruction appears; the focus is on understanding creation through śāstra and guṇa theory.