Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 22

Devanagari script

गणानां चैव कोट्या च तथा षष्टिसहस्रकैः । एवं तत्र गणैर्देव आवृतो वृषभध्वजः

Transliteration

gaṇānāṃ caiva koṭyā ca tathā ṣaṣṭisahasrakaiḥ | evaṃ tatra gaṇairdeva āvṛto vṛṣabhadhvajaḥ

Translation

ഒരു കോടി ഗണങ്ങളും കൂടാതെ അറുപതിനായിരം ഗണങ്ങളും—ഇങ്ങനെ അവിടെ വൃഷഭധ്വജൻ ദേവൻ (ശിവൻ) ഗണങ്ങളാൽ ആവൃതനായിരുന്നു.

Word by Word

• गणानाम्: of the gaṇas
• गणानाम्: Shashthi-sambandha (Genitive/षष्ठी-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6), बहुवचन

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

• एव: indeed
• एव: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारणार्थक-निपात (emphasis)

• कोट्या: by a crore
• कोट्या: Sahakarana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कोटि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3), एकवचन

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

• तथा: likewise
• तथा: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रकारवाचक-अव्यय (adverb)

• षष्टिसहस्रकैः: by sixty-thousands (groups of sixty thousand)
• षष्टिसहस्रकैः: Sahakarana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: षष्टि + सहस्रक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3), बहुवचन; द्विगुसमासः (षष्टिः सहस्रकाणि)

• एवम्: thus
• एवम्: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एवम् (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रकारवाचक-अव्यय (adverb: thus)

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (locative adverb: there)

• गणैः: by the gaṇas
• गणैः: Sahakarana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3), बहुवचन

• देव: O god
• देव: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8), एकवचन

• आवृतः: surrounded; encompassed
• आवृतः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: आ + वृ (धातु) + क्त (कृत्)
• Form: कृदन्त (क्त-प्रत्ययान्त), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; उपसर्गपूर्वक ‘covered/surrounded’

• वृषभध्वजः: the one whose banner is a bull (Śiva)
• वृषभध्वजः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वृषभ + ध्वज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; बहुव्रीहिः ‘वृषभः ध्वजः यस्य सः’ (Śiva)

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kedāra/Himavat Śaiva kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Brāhmaṇa/ṛṣis

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A panoramic vision: Śiva (bull-bannered) at the center, surrounded by an ocean of gaṇas—countless ranks extending into the Himalayan distance.

Characters & Entities

• Gaṇas
• Vṛṣabhadhvaja (Śiva)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Where Śiva abides, that place becomes spiritually fortified—divine presence transforms geography into a field of protection and merit.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Kedāra-Himālaya region is being exalted through the depiction of Śiva’s presence, though no single tirtha-name appears in this verse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None.