Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 1

Devanagari script

नारद उवाच । भूमेर्योजनलक्षे च कौरव्य रविमंडलम् । योजनानां सहस्राणि भास्करस्य रथो नव

Transliteration

nārada uvāca | bhūmeryojanalakṣe ca kauravya ravimaṃḍalam | yojanānāṃ sahasrāṇi bhāskarasya ratho nava

Translation

നാരദൻ പറഞ്ഞു— ഹേ കൗരവ്യാ, ഭൂമിയിൽ നിന്ന് ഒരു ലക്ഷം യോജന ദൂരത്തിൽ രവിമണ്ഡലം സ്ഥിതിചെയ്യുന്നു. ഭാസ്കരന്റെ രഥം ഒൻപതിനായിരം യോജന അളവുള്ളതാണ്.

Word by Word

• नारदः: Nārada
• नारदः: Karta (Speaker/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नारद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Speech act/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• भूमेः: of the earth
• भूमेः: Sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भूमि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• योजनलक्षे: at (a distance of) one lakh yojanas
• योजनलक्षे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: योजन + लक्ष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (7th/Locative), एकवचन; समासः (तत्पुरुषः: योजनानां लक्षम्)

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

• कौरव्य: O Kauravya
• कौरव्य: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कौरव्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative), एकवचन

• रविमण्डलम्: the sun’s orb; solar disc
• रविमण्डलम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रवि + मण्डल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः (तत्पुरुषः: रवेः मण्डलम्)

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

• सहस्राणि: thousands
• सहस्राणि: Karma (Measure/object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सहस्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; संख्यावाचक-शब्द

• भास्करस्य: of the Sun (Bhāskara)
• भास्करस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भास्कर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• रथः: chariot
• रथः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रथ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• नव: nine
• नव: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: नवन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: (संख्यावाचक) प्रथमा/द्वितीया, नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुंलिङ्गानुसार; अत्र रथः इति पुंलिङ्गे प्रथमा एकवचनार्थे ‘नव’ (indeclinable numeral stem used adjectivally)

Speaker

Nārada

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Ravimaṇḍala (Sūrya-loka as cosmographic locus)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Kauravya

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Nārada instructs a Kuru prince/sage; above them a vast diagrammatic sky with the Sun’s orb at a stated distance, and a grand solar chariot spanning thousands of yojanas.

Characters & Entities

• Nārada
• Ravi (Sun)
• Bhāskara
• Kauravya (descendant of Kuru)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The Purāṇa frames the cosmos as a sacred, ordered structure, inviting contemplative reverence for divine governance.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No tīrtha is mentioned; this is cosmographical teaching rather than a site-māhātmya.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; the verse provides cosmological measurements.