Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 28

Devanagari script

ब्रह्मविष्णुशिवानां च गन्धर्वोरगरक्षसाम् । एकविंशत्सहस्राणि शतैः षड्भिः शतानि च

Transliteration

brahmaviṣṇuśivānāṃ ca gandharvoragarakṣasām | ekaviṃśatsahasrāṇi śataiḥ ṣaḍbhiḥ śatāni ca

Translation

ब्रह्मा, विष्णु व शिव तसेच गंधर्व, नाग व राक्षस यांची संख्या एकवीस हजार; त्यासोबत सहाशे आणि आणखी शतकेही (गणनेत) आहेत.

Word by Word

• ब्रह्मविष्णुशिवानाम्: of Brahmā, Viṣṇu and Śiva
• ब्रह्मविष्णुशिवानाम्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्मन् + विष्णु + शिव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन; समाहार-द्वन्द्व/इतरेतर-द्वन्द्वसमासः (त्रयाणां देवतानाम्)

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

• गन्धर्व: of Gandharvas
• गन्धर्व: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गन्धर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन; (समासे पूर्वपदत्वेन)

• उरग: of serpents
• उरग: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: उरग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन; (समासे मध्यपदत्वेन)

• रक्षसाम्: of Rākṣasas/demons
• रक्षसाम्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रक्षस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (रक्षस्-शब्दः), षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन

• एकविंशत्सहस्राणि: twenty-one thousands
• एकविंशत्सहस्राणि: Karma/Pradhana-sankhya (Object/Count)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एकविंशत् (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक) + सहस्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), बहुवचन; संख्या-तत्पुरुषः (एकविंशत्-सहस्राणि = 21,000s)

• शतैः: by hundreds / with hundreds
• शतैः: Karana (Instrument/Measure)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन

• षड्भिः: with six
• षड्भिः: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: षट् (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: त्रिलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन; शतैः इति विशेषणम्

• शतानि: hundreds
• शतानि: Karma/Pradhana-sankhya (Object/Count)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), बहुवचन

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

Speaker

Sūta (deduced)

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Ṛṣis (assembled sages)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A sage-narrator recites a grand enumeration: Brahmā, Viṣṇu, Śiva preside above, while Gandharvas, Nāgas, and Rākṣasas appear in tiered registers, suggesting a cosmic census.

Characters & Entities

• Brahmā
• Viṣṇu
• Śiva
• Gandharva
• Uraga (Nāga)
• Rākṣasa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

It portrays the universe as an ordered hierarchy of beings under divine governance, reinforcing faith in cosmic dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific tīrtha is named in this verse; it contributes to the chapter’s broader sacred-cosmological framing.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it is an enumerative cosmological statement.