Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 131

Devanagari script

कामरूपे च ग्रामाणां नवलक्षाः प्रकीर्तिताः । डाहले वेदसंज्ञे तु ग्रामाणां नवलक्षकम्

Transliteration

kāmarūpe ca grāmāṇāṃ navalakṣāḥ prakīrtitāḥ | ḍāhale vedasaṃjñe tu grāmāṇāṃ navalakṣakam

Translation

കാമരൂപത്തിൽ ഗ്രാമങ്ങൾ ഒൻപത് ലക്ഷം എന്നു കീര്ത്തിക്കപ്പെടുന്നു. ‘വേദ’ എന്ന പേരുള്ള ഡാഹലദേശത്തിലും ഗ്രാമങ്ങൾ ഒൻപത് ലക്ഷം എന്നു പറയുന്നു.

Word by Word

• kāmarūpe: in Kāmarūpa
• kāmarūpe: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kāmarūpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग (देशवाचक), सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयार्थक (and)

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

• nava-lakṣāḥ: nine lakhs
• nava-lakṣāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nava (प्रातिपदिक) + lakṣā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; द्विगुसमासः (नव लक्षाः)

• prakīrtitāḥ: are proclaimed
• prakīrtitāḥ: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra + kīrt (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त (क्त-प्रत्यय), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; कर्मणि ‘are proclaimed/are mentioned’

• ḍāhale: in Ḍāhala
• ḍāhale: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ḍāhala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन; देशवाचक

• veda-saṃjñe: called ‘Veda’
• veda-saṃjñe: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: veda (प्रातिपदिक) + saṃjñā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (vedasya saṃjñā) ‘named Veda’; ḍāhale इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

• tu: indeed/but
• tu: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; विरोध/विशेषार्थक (but/indeed)

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

• nava-lakṣakam: a total of nine lakhs
• nava-lakṣakam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nava (प्रातिपदिक) + lakṣaka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; द्विगुसमासः; ‘nine-lakh (amount)’

Speaker

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

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāmarūpa (regional kṣetra)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Two-region diptych: left shows Kāmarūpa with Brahmaputra, red hibiscus, Devī shrine on Nilācala hill; right shows Ḍāhala with forested Narmadā/central plateau, Vedic fire altar and chanting brāhmaṇas—both overlaid with countless village markers.

Characters & Entities

• Kāmarūpa
• Ḍāhala
• Veda (as alternate name)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred geography is broadened beyond one shrine—multiple regions are integrated into a dharmic, pan-regional vision.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No single tīrtha is singled out; Kāmarūpa is a famed śākta region, but the verse lists counts rather than tīrtha-phala.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None.