Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 39

Devanagari script

योजनार्धप्रमाणानि भानि ह्रस्वं न विद्यते । भूमिलोकश्च भूर्लोकः पादगम्यः प्रकीर्तितः

Transliteration

yojanārdhapramāṇāni bhāni hrasvaṃ na vidyate | bhūmilokaśca bhūrlokaḥ pādagamyaḥ prakīrtitaḥ

Translation

ଜ୍ୟୋତିଷ୍କମାନଙ୍କର ପ୍ରମାଣ ଅର୍ଧ-ଯୋଜନ ବୋଲି କୁହାଯାଇଛି; ତାହାଠାରୁ ଛୋଟ ପ୍ରମାଣ ନାହିଁ। ଏହି ଭୂମିଲୋକ ହିଁ ‘ଭୂର୍ଲୋକ’ ଭାବେ ପ୍ରସିଦ୍ଧ, ଏବଂ ପାଦେ ଗମ୍ୟ ବୋଲି ପ୍ରକୀର୍ତିତ।

Word by Word

• yojanārdha-pramāṇāni: having the measure of half a yojana
• yojanārdha-pramāṇāni: Viśeṣaṇa (Adjectival qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: yojana (प्रातिपदिक) + ardha (प्रातिपदिक) + pramāṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; विशेषण—‘भानि’ इति विशेष्यस्य

• bhāni: luminaries (stars/planets)
• bhāni: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन

• hrasvam: shortness (diminution)
• hrasvam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: hrasva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; भाववाचक—‘shortness’

• na: not
• na: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक-अव्यय (negative particle)

• vidyate: exists / is found
• vidyate: Kriyā (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √vid (विद्, धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद; भावे/कर्तरि—‘exists/is found’

• bhūmi-lokaḥ: the earth-world
• bhūmi-lokaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhūmi (प्रातिपदिक) + loka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Conjunction/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• bhūḥ-lokaḥ: Bhūloka (the terrestrial world)
• bhūḥ-lokaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhūḥ (प्रातिपदिक) + loka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; ‘भूर्लोकः’ = ‘भूः एव लोकः’

• pāda-gamyaḥ: reachable on foot
• pāda-gamyaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (Adjectival qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pāda (प्रातिपदिक) + gamya (गम्य, √gam धातु से कृदन्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; विशेषण—‘भूर्लोकः’ इति विशेष्यस्य; ‘पादेन गम्यः’

• prakīrtitaḥ: is declared / is described
• prakīrtitaḥ: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa / Predicative (Predicate adjective/विधेय)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pra-√kīrt (कीर्त्, धातु) → prakīrtita (कृदन्त, क्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle)

Speaker

Lomaharṣaṇa (Sūta) to the sages (deduced from Māheśvara-khaṇḍa framing)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A schematic cosmic diagram: Bhūloka as a walkable plane beneath luminous bodies measured in fixed units; sages indicating measures with palm-leaf charts.

Characters & Entities

• Bhūloka
• Bhūmiloka
• Yojana

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

It contrasts the humanly accessible earth with higher cosmic regions, implying that embodied life is the gateway for dharma and spiritual striving.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific tīrtha is named; ‘Bhūloka’ is described generally as the human realm.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None directly; the verse is descriptive of realms and measures.