Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 146

Devanagari script

एकविंशतिसहस्रो लाडदेशः प्रकीर्तितः । अतिसिंधुश्च ग्रामाणां दशसहस्र उच्यते । तथा चाश्वमुखं पार्थ दशसाहस्रमुच्यते

Transliteration

ekaviṃśatisahasro lāḍadeśaḥ prakīrtitaḥ | atisiṃdhuśca grāmāṇāṃ daśasahasra ucyate | tathā cāśvamukhaṃ pārtha daśasāhasramucyate

Translation

Lāḍadeśa dimasyhurkan mempunyai dua puluh satu ribu desa. Ati-Sindhu pula dikatakan mempunyai sepuluh ribu desa. Demikian juga, wahai Pārtha, Aśvamukha dikatakan mempunyai sepuluh ribu desa.

Word by Word

• एकविंशतिसहस्रः: twenty-one thousand (in number)
• एकविंशतिसहस्रः: Visheshana (Adjectival modifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: एक-विंशति-सहस्र (प्रातिपदिक; समास: एक + विंशति + सहस्र)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; विशेषण — 'having 21,000'

• लाडदेशः: the Lāḍa country
• लाडदेशः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लाड-देश (प्रातिपदिक; समास: लाड + देश)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; नाम (region-name)

• प्रकीर्तितः: is proclaimed/declared
• प्रकीर्तितः: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र-कीर्त् (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle, क्त), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विधेय (predicate)

• अतिसिंधुः: Atisindhu (region)
• अतिसिंधुः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अति-सिन्धु (प्रातिपदिक; समास: अति + सिन्धु)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; नाम (place-name)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha/Connector
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक अव्यय (conjunction)

• ग्रामाणाम्: of villages
• ग्रामाणाम्: Shashthi-Sambandha (Genitive/षष्ठी-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ग्राम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), बहुवचन; सम्बन्ध (genitive) — 'of villages'

• दशसहस्रम्: ten thousand
• दशसहस्रम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दश-सहस्र (प्रातिपदिक; समास: दश + सहस्र)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; संख्या — 'ten thousand'

• उच्यते: is said
• उच्यते: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लट्, कर्मणि (passive), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• तथा: likewise
• तथा: Sambandha/Connector
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रकारवाचक/समुच्चयार्थ (adverb: likewise/so)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha/Connector
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक अव्यय (conjunction)

• अश्वमुखम्: Aśvamukha (region/place)
• अश्वमुखम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अश्व-मुख (प्रातिपदिक; समास: अश्व + मुख)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; नाम (place-name)

• पार्थ: O Pārtha
• पार्थ: Sambodhana (Vocative/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पार्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th/सम्बोधन), एकवचन; संबोधन

• दशसाहस्रम्: ten thousand
• दशसाहस्रम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दश-साहस्र (प्रातिपदिक; समास: दश + साहस्र)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; संख्या — 'ten thousand'

• उच्यते: is said
• उच्यते: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लट्, कर्मणि (passive), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

Speaker

Lomaharṣaṇa (Sūta) (deduced from Māheśvarakhaṇḍa narrative convention)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Lāḍadeśa; Ati-Sindhu; Aśvamukha (regional frames)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Pārtha (explicit)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Skanda (or a sage) points to a scroll showing three labeled regions—Lāḍa, Ati-Sindhu, Aśvamukha—each filled with village icons; Arjuna listens attentively, hand on bow, in a teaching pavilion.

Characters & Entities

• Lāḍadeśa
• Ati-Sindhu
• Aśvamukha
• Pārtha
• grāma (villages)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The Purāṇa portrays the breadth of Bhārata as an ordered, meaningful sacred space—enumeration becomes a way of honoring the land under dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No single tīrtha is specified; multiple regions are listed as part of a geographic māhātmya framework.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; the verse provides regional counts and names.