Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 30

Devanagari script

स लक्षयोजनो ज्ञेयो ह्यधश्चोर्ध्वं प्रमाणतः । षोडशैव सहस्राणि योजनानामधः स्थितः

Transliteration

sa lakṣayojano jñeyo hyadhaścordhvaṃ pramāṇataḥ | ṣoḍaśaiva sahasrāṇi yojanānāmadhaḥ sthitaḥ

Translation

മേരു ഒരു ലക്ഷം യോജന അളവുള്ളതെന്ന്—താഴെയും മുകളെയും—അറിയണം. അതിൽ പതിനാറായിരം യോജന ഭൂതലത്തിനടിയിൽ സ്ഥിതിചെയ്യുന്നു.

Word by Word

• सः: he/that (Meru)
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular), पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine)

• लक्षयोजनः: (measuring) a lakh yojanas
• लक्षयोजनः: Visheshana (Adjectival modifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: लक्ष + योजन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular), पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine); विशेषण of सः

• ज्ञेयः: is to be known/considered
• ज्ञेयः: Kriya-visheshana (Predicate/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: √ज्ञा (धातु) + यत् (कृदन्त)
• Form: प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular), पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine); यत्-प्रत्ययान्त (gerundive)

• हि: indeed
• हि: Sambandha-bodhaka (Discourse particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: निश्चय/कारण-अव्यय (particle: indeed/for)

• अधः: below
• अधः: Desha (Spatial adverbial/देश)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अधस् (अव्यय)
• Form: देश-अव्यय (adverb: below)

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Coordination/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (conjunction)

• ऊर्ध्वम्: above
• ऊर्ध्वम्: Desha (Spatial adverbial/देश)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ऊर्ध्व (प्रातिपदिक/अव्ययप्राय)
• Form: देश-अव्यय (adverb: above/upwards)

• प्रमाणतः: by measure; in extent
• प्रमाणतः: Prakara (Manner/प्रकार)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: प्रमाण (प्रातिपदिक) + तस् (अव्यय-प्रत्यय)
• Form: तस्-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय (adverb: according to measure)

• षोडश: sixteen
• षोडश: Visheshana (Numeral modifier/संख्या-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: षोडश (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: संख्यावाचक (numeral), अव्ययवत्/अविकारी

• एव: just/only
• एव: Sambandha-bodhaka (Emphasis particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारण-अव्यय (particle: just/only)

• सहस्राणि: thousands
• सहस्राणि: Sankhya-vishaya (Counted units/संख्येय)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सहस्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Nom/Acc 1st/2nd), बहुवचन (Plural), नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter)

• योजनानाम्: of yojanas
• योजनानाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: योजन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/6th), बहुवचन (Plural), नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter)

• अधः: below
• अधः: Desha (Spatial adverbial/देश)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अधस् (अव्यय)
• Form: देश-अव्यय (adverb: below)

• स्थितः: is situated
• स्थितः: Kriya-visheshana (Predicate/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: √स्था (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular), पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine); क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (PPP)

Speaker

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

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Meru

Type: peak

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Phālguna (contextual)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Meru shown as a towering golden mountain with a visible ‘earthline’; a portion descends into subterranean darkness while a far greater portion rises into luminous heavens.

Characters & Entities

• Meru

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred geography is presented with precise measures to cultivate awe and contemplative attention toward the ordered cosmos.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Mount Meru is described as the cosmic axis; no local tīrtha is mentioned.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None.