Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 41

Devanagari script

स्वर्लोकः सोऽपि गदितो लोकसंस्थानचिंतकैः । ध्रुवादूर्ध्वं तथा कोटचिर्महर्लोकः प्रकीर्तितः

Transliteration

svarlokaḥ so'pi gadito lokasaṃsthānaciṃtakaiḥ | dhruvādūrdhvaṃ tathā koṭacirmaharlokaḥ prakīrtitaḥ

Translation

ಲೋಕಸಂಸ್ಥಾನವನ್ನು ಚಿಂತಿಸುವವರು ಸ್ವರ್ಳೋಕವನ್ನೂ ವರ್ಣಿಸಿದ್ದಾರೆ. ಧ್ರುವನ ಮೇಲ್ಭಾಗದಲ್ಲಿ ಮಹರ್ಳೋಕವು ಕೋಟಿಗಳಷ್ಟು ದೀರ್ಘ ವ್ಯಾಪ್ತಿಯೆಂದು ಪ್ರಖ್ಯಾತವಾಗಿದೆ.

Word by Word

• svar-lokaḥ: Svarloka (heaven)
• svar-lokaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: svar (प्रातिपदिक) + loka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• saḥ: that (it)
• saḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• api: also
• api: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय/अपि-कारक-अव्यय (particle: also/even)

• gaditaḥ: is said / is stated
• gaditaḥ: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa / Predicative (Predicate adjective/विधेय)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: √gad (गद्, धातु) → gadita (कृदन्त, क्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त

• loka-saṃsthāna-ciṃtakaiḥ: by the thinkers on the structure of the worlds
• loka-saṃsthāna-ciṃtakaiḥ: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: loka (प्रातिपदिक) + saṃsthāna (प्रातिपदिक) + ciṃtaka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन; ‘लोकसंस्थानस्य चिन्तकाः’

• dhruvāt: from Dhruva
• dhruvāt: Apādāna (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dhruva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/Ablative), एकवचन

• ūrdhvam: upwards / above
• ūrdhvam: Deśa-adhikaraṇa (Locative sense/देशाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ūrdhva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb of direction)

• tathā: likewise
• tathā: Sambandha (Adverbial/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tathā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb: thus/likewise)

• koṭaciḥ-mahar-lokaḥ: Maharloka (with the epithet koṭaciḥ-...)
• koṭaciḥ-mahar-lokaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: koṭaciḥ (प्रातिपदिक; पाठभेद/दुर्लभ) + mahar (प्रातिपदिक) + loka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; समासः—‘महर्लोकः’ विशेष्यः; ‘कोṭaciḥ’ उपपद/विशेषणाङ्ग (अर्थः अस्पष्टः—संभवतः ‘कोटि-चिर्/कोटिचर्’ इत्यादि पाठ)

• prakīrtitaḥ: is declared
• prakīrtitaḥ: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa / Predicative (Predicate adjective/विधेय)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pra-√kīrt (कीर्त्, धातु) → prakīrtita (कृदन्त, क्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त

Speaker

Lomaharṣaṇa (Sūta) to the sages (deduced from Māheśvara-khaṇḍa framing)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Svarloka / Maharloka (cosmic regions)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A layered cosmos above Dhruva: Svarga depicted as radiant city; above it, Maharloka as expansive luminous realm; sages ‘loka-saṃsthāna-cintaka’ observing.

Characters & Entities

• Svarloka
• Dhruva
• Maharloka
• Koṭi

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

It points to graded realms, suggesting that spiritual merit and purity correspond to higher states of existence.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

None; the verse concerns the vertical ordering of lokas.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None in this verse.