Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 20

Devanagari script

ब्रह्मांडान्यपि मां चैव गणना का भवादृशाम् । तदेतदेव मन्येऽहं तव भूपाल सांप्रतम्

Transliteration

brahmāṃḍānyapi māṃ caiva gaṇanā kā bhavādṛśām | tadetadeva manye'haṃ tava bhūpāla sāṃpratam

Translation

Même les innombrables « œufs cosmiques » (univers)—et même moi—dépassent le calcul d’un être tel que toi. Ainsi, ô roi, voilà ce que je tiens pour ton état à présent.

Word by Word

• ब्रह्माण्डानि: cosmic eggs; universes
• ब्रह्माण्डानि: Karma (Object of implied ‘gaṇanā’/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brahmāṇḍa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति; बहुवचन

• अपि: even; also
• अपि: Sambandha (Additive particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय/अपि-कार (also/even)

• माम्: me
• माम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative); एकवचन; सर्वनाम

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

• एव: indeed; just
• एव: Sambandha (Emphasis/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधारण (emphatic particle)

• गणना: counting; enumeration
• गणना: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gaṇanā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-विभक्ति; एकवचन

• का: what (is)
• का: Prashna (Interrogative predicate/प्रश्न)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kim (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-विभक्ति; एकवचन; प्रश्नवाचक

• भवादृशाम्: of persons like you
• भवादृशाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhavat-ādṛśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive); बहुवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (भवत् + आदृश)

• तत्: that
• तत्: Karma (Object of ‘manye’/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति; एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• एतत्: this
• एतत्: Karma (Apposition with ‘tat’/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: etad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति; एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• एव: indeed
• एव: Sambandha (Emphasis/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधारण

• मन्ये: I think
• मन्ये: Kriya (Main action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √man (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present); उत्तम-पुरुष; एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

• अहम्: I
• अहम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: प्रथमा-विभक्ति; एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• तव: your
• तव: Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yusmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive); एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• भूपाल: O king
• भूपाल: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhūpāla (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; सम्बोधन-विभक्ति; एकवचन

• साम्प्रतम्: now; at present
• साम्प्रतम्: Kriya-visheshana (Time/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sāmpratam (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (temporal adverb)

Speaker

Brahmā (implied from the immediate narrative context; next verse mentions 'brahmaṇaḥ vācaḥ')

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Audience (implied); internal listener is Indradyumna

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Brahmā gestures toward an infinite expanse of cosmic eggs, indicating that even he is beyond the king’s calculation; the king appears small against the cosmic panorama.

Characters & Entities

• Brahmā
• Bhūpāla (king)
• Brahmāṇḍa (cosmic universe)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

It emphasizes humility: cosmic reality is immeasurable, so one should not cling to pride in worldly identity or status.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific tīrtha is directly named in this verse; it serves as a doctrinal setup within the Kaumārikākhaṇḍa narrative.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None in this verse; it is a reflective statement about limitation and present condition.