Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 20

Devanagari script

चतुष्कोटिप्रमाणस्तु तपोलोकोऽस्ति भूतलात् । उपरिष्टात्क्षितेरष्टौ कोटयः सत्यमीरितम्

Transliteration

catuṣkoṭipramāṇastu tapoloko'sti bhūtalāt | upariṣṭātkṣiteraṣṭau koṭayaḥ satyamīritam

Translation

भूतलापासून वर तपोलोक चार कोटी (योजन) प्रमाणाचा आहे; आणि पृथ्वीपासून आठ कोटी वर सत्यलोक आहे—असे सांगितले आहे।

Word by Word

• catuṣ-koṭi-pramāṇaḥ: measured as four koṭis
• catuṣ-koṭi-pramāṇaḥ: Karta (Predicate adjective/कर्तृविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: catur (प्रातिपदिक) + koṭi (प्रातिपदिक) + pramāṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; द्विगु-समास—‘four koṭis as measure’

• tu: indeed
• tu: Sambandha (Discourse particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय—निपात (contrast/indeed)

• tapaḥ-lokaḥ: Tapoloka
• tapaḥ-lokaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tapaḥ (प्रातिपदिक) + loka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• asti: exists/is
• asti: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √as (अस्)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• bhū-talāt: from the earth-surface
• bhū-talāt: Apadana (Ablative source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhū (प्रातिपदिक) + tala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (अपादान), एकवचन

• upariṣṭāt: above
• upariṣṭāt: Adhikarana (Spatial/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: upariṣṭāt (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय—देशवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (above, higher up)

• kṣiteḥ: of the earth
• kṣiteḥ: Sambandha (Reference point/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kṣiti (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (सम्बन्ध), एकवचन

• aṣṭau: eight
• aṣṭau: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: aṣṭan (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: (संख्यावाचक) प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; लिङ्गानपेक्ष (numeral)

• koṭayaḥ: koṭis
• koṭayaḥ: Karta (Subject complement/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: koṭi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• satyam: Satya(loka)
• satyam: Karta (Apposition/समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: satya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘सत्यलोक’ इत्यर्थे (contextual)

• īritam: is declared
• īritam: Kriya (Predicative/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: īrita (कृदन्त; √īr धातु)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त—‘is said/declared’

Speaker

Skanda

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Brāhmaṇa interlocutor / ṛṣi-assembly (frame)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Two highest luminous planes: Tapoloka as a radiant austerity-forest/ashram realm with ascetics; above, Satyaloka as a brilliant, orderly city/palace of truth with Brahmā’s presence implied—yet shown as a ‘realm’ within the cosmic diagram.

Characters & Entities

• Skanda
• Tapoloka
• Satyaloka

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Tapas (austerity) and Satya (truth) are elevated as supreme principles, mirrored by the ascent to higher lokas.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No; the verse emphasizes metaphysical realms rather than a Kāśī shrine or tīrtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit ritual is prescribed, though the mention of Tapoloka implicitly honors tapas as a spiritual discipline.