Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 40

Devanagari script

फणानां द्वितयं केषां त्रितयं च महाप्रभम् । चतुष्क पंचकषट्कं सप्तकं चाष्टकं तथा

Transliteration

phaṇānāṃ dvitayaṃ keṣāṃ tritayaṃ ca mahāprabham | catuṣka paṃcakaṣaṭkaṃ saptakaṃ cāṣṭakaṃ tathā

Translation

บางตนมีพังพานสอง บางตนมีสาม และยังมีผู้รุ่งเรืองยิ่งนักที่มีสี่ ห้า หก เจ็ด ตลอดจนแปดพังพาน

Word by Word

• फणानाम्: of hoods
• फणानाम्: Shashthi-Sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: फणा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• द्वितयम्: a pair (two)
• द्वितयम्: Karma/Predicate-Nominative (object/complement)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्वितय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (contextually ‘a pair’)

• केषाम्: of some (of whom)
• केषाम्: Shashthi-Sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, बहुवचन (interrog./indef.)

• त्रितयम्: a triad (three)
• त्रितयम्: Karma/Predicate-Nominative (object/complement)
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्रितय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

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

• महाप्रभम्: very splendid/mighty
• महाप्रभम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महा (पूर्वपद) + प्रभ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः—कर्मधारय (महान् प्रभः/प्रभा यस्य)

• चतुष्कम्: a set of four
• चतुष्कम्: Karma/Predicate-Nominative (object/complement)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चतुष्क (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• पञ्चकषट्कम्: a set of five and a set of six
• पञ्चकषट्कम्: Karma/Predicate-Nominative (object/complement)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पञ्चक (प्रातिपदिक) + षट्क (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः—द्वन्द्व (पञ्चकं च षट्कं च)

• सप्तकम्: a set of seven
• सप्तकम्: Karma/Predicate-Nominative (object/complement)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सप्तक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

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

• अष्टकम्: a set of eight
• अष्टकम्: Karma/Predicate-Nominative (object/complement)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अष्टक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• तथा: likewise
• तथा: Sambandha (discourse marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, प्रकारवाचक (adverb)

Speaker

Lomaharṣaṇa (Sūta), narrating to the sages (deduced from Māheśvarakhaṇḍa context)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kedārakṣetra (Kedāra)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A procession of Nāgas with two, three, four, five, six, seven, and eight hoods, each hood flaring like a fan, jewels catching light; the scene reads like a living catalogue of power-forms surrounding Kedāra’s sanctum.

Characters & Entities

• Nāgas
• Śiva (implied)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The Lord’s court encompasses countless grades of power and form, all harmonized in service—devotion orders multiplicity.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kedāra is the contextual sacred geography where such cosmic descriptions function as praise of Śiva’s presence.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; the verse is descriptive, aiding dhyāna and stuti rather than prescribing a vrata or dāna.