Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 127

Devanagari script

कोटिश्चतस्रो ग्रामाणां नीवृदासीच्च मंडले । सार्धकोटिद्वयग्रामैर्देशो बालाक जच्यते

Transliteration

koṭiścatasro grāmāṇāṃ nīvṛdāsīcca maṃḍale | sārdhakoṭidvayagrāmairdeśo bālāka jacyate

Translation

اُس منڈل میں نیوِرت خطّے میں گاؤں کی چار کروڑ (کوٹیاں) تھیں؛ اور بالاک دیش کے بارے میں کہا گیا ہے کہ اس میں اڑھائی کروڑ گاؤں ہیں۔

Word by Word

• koṭiḥ: a crore (ten million)
• koṭiḥ: Karta (subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: koṭi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (nom. sg.)

• catasraḥ: four
• catasraḥ: Karta (numeral qualifier/कर्तृविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: catur (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन (nom. pl.)

• grāmāṇām: of villages
• grāmāṇām: Sambandha (genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: grāma (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, बहुवचन (gen. pl.)

• nīvṛt: Nīvṛt (a region/territory)
• nīvṛt: Karta (subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nīvṛt (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (nom. sg.); (पाठभेदः: नीवृत्/निवृत्)

• āsīt: was
• āsīt: Kriya (copula/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: as (धातु)
• Form: लङ् (imperfect), परस्मैपद; प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (coordination/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय (conjunction)

• maṃḍale: in the province/mandala
• maṃḍale: Adhikarana (location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: maṃḍala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन (loc. sg.)

• sārdha-koṭi-dvaya-grāmaiḥ: with two and a half crores of villages
• sārdha-koṭi-dvaya-grāmaiḥ: Karana (measure/instrumental of extent/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sārdha (अव्यय/प्रातिपदिक) + koṭi (प्रातिपदिक) + dvaya (प्रातिपदिक) + grāma (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन (instr. pl.); तत्पुरुष-समास (सार्धं कोटिद्वयं येषां ते ग्रामाः)

• deśaḥ: the country/region
• deśaḥ: Karta (subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (nom. sg.)

• bālāka: O Bālāka
• bālāka: Sambodhana (address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bālāka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचन (voc. sg.)

• jacyate: is known/called
• jacyate: Kriya (action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: jñā (धातु) / jan (धातु) (पाठदोषसम्भावना)
• Form: लट् (present), आत्मनेपद; प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; (पाठः 'जच्यते' अस्पष्टः—सम्भाव्यः 'ज्ञायते' = is known)

Speaker

Lomaharṣaṇa (Sūta), narrating to the sages (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Nīvṛt (region) / Bālāka (deśa)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A map-like tableau: two labeled regions—Nīvṛt and Bālāka—shown as adjacent compartments in a mandala; clusters of tiny village icons indicate ‘koṭis’ of settlements, emphasizing scale.

Characters & Entities

• Nīvṛt (region)
• Bālāka (region)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The Purāṇa frames the world as ordered and knowable; sacred narration maps human habitation within dharmic cosmography.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No single tīrtha is praised; the verse provides regional demographic-style enumeration.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None.