Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 127

Devanagari script

कोटिश्चतस्रो ग्रामाणां नीवृदासीच्च मंडले । सार्धकोटिद्वयग्रामैर्देशो बालाक जच्यते

Transliteration

koṭiścatasro grāmāṇāṃ nīvṛdāsīcca maṃḍale | sārdhakoṭidvayagrāmairdeśo bālāka jacyate

Translation

ആ മണ്ഡലത്തിൽ നീവൃത പ്രദേശത്ത് ഗ്രാമങ്ങൾ നാല് കോടി ഉണ്ടായിരുന്നു; ബാലാക ദേശത്ത് രണ്ടര കോടി ഗ്രാമങ്ങൾ ഉണ്ടെന്ന് പ്രസിദ്ധമാണ്।

Word by Word

• koṭiḥ: a crore (ten million)
• koṭiḥ: Karta (subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: koṭi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (nom. sg.)

• catasraḥ: four
• catasraḥ: Karta (numeral qualifier/कर्तृविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: catur (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन (nom. pl.)

• grāmāṇām: of villages
• grāmāṇām: Sambandha (genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: grāma (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, बहुवचन (gen. pl.)

• nīvṛt: Nīvṛt (a region/territory)
• nīvṛt: Karta (subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nīvṛt (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (nom. sg.); (पाठभेदः: नीवृत्/निवृत्)

• āsīt: was
• āsīt: Kriya (copula/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: as (धातु)
• Form: लङ् (imperfect), परस्मैपद; प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (coordination/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय (conjunction)

• maṃḍale: in the province/mandala
• maṃḍale: Adhikarana (location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: maṃḍala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन (loc. sg.)

• sārdha-koṭi-dvaya-grāmaiḥ: with two and a half crores of villages
• sārdha-koṭi-dvaya-grāmaiḥ: Karana (measure/instrumental of extent/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sārdha (अव्यय/प्रातिपदिक) + koṭi (प्रातिपदिक) + dvaya (प्रातिपदिक) + grāma (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन (instr. pl.); तत्पुरुष-समास (सार्धं कोटिद्वयं येषां ते ग्रामाः)

• deśaḥ: the country/region
• deśaḥ: Karta (subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (nom. sg.)

• bālāka: O Bālāka
• bālāka: Sambodhana (address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bālāka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचन (voc. sg.)

• jacyate: is known/called
• jacyate: Kriya (action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: jñā (धातु) / jan (धातु) (पाठदोषसम्भावना)
• Form: लट् (present), आत्मनेपद; प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; (पाठः 'जच्यते' अस्पष्टः—सम्भाव्यः 'ज्ञायते' = is known)

Speaker

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

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Nīvṛt (region) / Bālāka (deśa)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A map-like tableau: two labeled regions—Nīvṛt and Bālāka—shown as adjacent compartments in a mandala; clusters of tiny village icons indicate ‘koṭis’ of settlements, emphasizing scale.

Characters & Entities

• Nīvṛt (region)
• Bālāka (region)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The Purāṇa frames the world as ordered and knowable; sacred narration maps human habitation within dharmic cosmography.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No single tīrtha is praised; the verse provides regional demographic-style enumeration.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None.