Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 25

Devanagari script

देवानां क्रीडनस्थानं लोकालोकस्ततः परम् । पर्वतो वलयाकारो योजनायुतविस्तृतः

Transliteration

devānāṃ krīḍanasthānaṃ lokālokastataḥ param | parvato valayākāro yojanāyutavistṛtaḥ

Translation

അതിന് അപ്പുറം ലോകാലോകം ഉണ്ട്; അത് ദേവന്മാരുടെ ക്രീഡനസ്ഥാനമായി പ്രസിദ്ധം. അവിടെ വലയാകാരമായ പർവ്വതം പത്ത് ആയിരം യോജന വ്യാപ്തിയോടെ വ്യാപിച്ചിരിക്കുന്നു.

Word by Word

• देवानाम्: of the gods
• देवानाम्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन

• क्रीडनस्थानम्: playground/sporting place
• क्रीडनस्थानम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्रीडन-स्थान (प्रातिपदिक; क्रीडन=क्रीडन, स्थान=स्थान)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (क्रीडनस्य स्थानम्)

• लोकालोकः: (the mountain) Lokāloka
• लोकालोकः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लोक-अलोक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः—द्वन्द्वः (लोकः च अलोकः च)

• ततः: thereafter/from that
• ततः: Sambandha (Sequence/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय—अपादान/क्रमबोधक (adverb: ‘then/from there’)

• परम्: beyond/further
• परम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (लोकालोकः/स्थानम् इत्यर्थे ‘beyond’)

• पर्वतः: a mountain
• पर्वतः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पर्वत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• वलयाकारः: ring-shaped
• वलयाकारः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वलय-आकार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (वलयस्य आकारः) विशेषणम् (पर्वतः)

• योजनायुतविस्तृतः: extended over ten-thousand yojanas
• योजनायुतविस्तृतः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: योजन-अयुत-विस्तृत (प्रातिपदिक; योजन=yojana, अयुत=ten-thousand, विस्तृत=विस्तृत)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (योजनानाम् अयुतेन विस्तृतः = extended by ten-thousand yojanas)

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) to the sages (deduced from Māheśvarakhaṇḍa context)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Lokāloka-parvata

Type: peak

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A colossal circular mountain encircling the known world like a protective ring; inside is luminous realm, outside fades into deep darkness; devas appear in playful motion atop the ridge, suggesting a divine playground at the edge of light.

Characters & Entities

• Lokāloka
• Devas

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The universe is portrayed as ordered and bounded; divine realms are structured, not random, reinforcing reverence for cosmic law.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Lokāloka is a cosmological boundary rather than a pilgrim-site on earth; it functions as sacred geography in purāṇic cosmology.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None in this verse.