Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 125

Devanagari script

इत्युक्ता सर्वधर्मज्ञा विज्ञाने ब्रह्मणा समा । द्वासप्ततिविभेदैः सा नव खंडान्यचीकरत्

Transliteration

ityuktā sarvadharmajñā vijñāne brahmaṇā samā | dvāsaptativibhedaiḥ sā nava khaṃḍānyacīkarat

Translation

ഇങ്ങനെ അഭിസംബോധന ചെയ്യപ്പെട്ട അവൾ—സർവ്വധർമ്മജ്ഞയും ജ്ഞാനത്തിൽ ബ്രഹ്മസമയും—എഴുപത്തിരണ്ട് വിഭേദങ്ങളാൽ ഒൻപത് ഖണ്ഡങ്ങൾ ക്രമപ്പെടുത്തി സൃഷ്ടിച്ചു।

Word by Word

• iti: thus
• iti: Sambandha (quotative/वाक्यसम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iti (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; इति-शब्दः (quotative particle)

• uktā: having been said / addressed
• uktā: Karta (subject-predicate complement/कर्तृविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vac (धातु) → ukta (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (क्त); स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (fem. nom. sg.)

• sarva-dharma-jñā: knower of all dharmas
• sarva-dharma-jñā: Karta (subject qualifier/कर्तृविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक) + dharma (प्रातिपदिक) + jña (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समास (धर्मान् जानातीति)

• vijñāne: in knowledge
• vijñāne: Adhikarana (location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vijñāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन (loc. sg.)

• brahmaṇā: with Brahman; as (Brahman)
• brahmaṇā: Upamāna/Instrument (comparison standard/उपमान-निर्देश)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brahman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन (instr. sg.)

• samā: equal
• samā: Karta (predicate adjective/कर्तृविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (fem. nom. sg.)

• dvā-saptati-vibhedaiḥ: by seventy-two divisions
• dvā-saptati-vibhedaiḥ: Karana (instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dvā (प्रातिपदिक) + saptati (प्रातिपदिक) + vibheda (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन (instr. pl.); तत्पुरुष-समास (द्वासप्ततेः विभेदाः)

• sā: she
• sā: Karta (subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (pron. nom. sg.)

• nava: nine
• nava: Karma (object qualifier/कर्मविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: nava (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचन (acc. pl.)

• khaṇḍāni: sections; parts
• khaṇḍāni: Karma (object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: khaṇḍa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचन (acc. pl.)

• acīkarat: made; created
• acīkarat: Kriya (action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kṛ (धातु)
• Form: लुङ् (aorist), परस्मैपद; प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

Speaker

Lomaharṣaṇa (Sūta), narrating to the sages (deduced)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A learned feminine figure (the ‘she’ of the verse), serene and authoritative, lays out a mandala-like map: nine divisions radiate from a central axis, with symbolic markers for settlements and coasts; Brahmā’s presence is implied through iconographic cues of creation and ordering.

Characters & Entities

• Kumārī
• Brahmā

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharma and orderly governance are portrayed as flowing from divine wisdom; sacred order mirrors cosmic order.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The broader Kumārī sacred tradition is in view; this verse highlights her authority to structure regions rather than a single tīrtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it is a narrative description of divine organization and division.