Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 185

Devanagari script

कोटिकोटिगणैश्चैव स्तुवद्भिः सर्वतो वृतः

Transliteration

koṭikoṭigaṇaiścaiva stuvadbhiḥ sarvato vṛtaḥ

Translation

Ngài được vây quanh bốn phía bởi vô số vô số đoàn chúng, tất cả đều cất lời tụng ca tán thán.

Word by Word

• कोटि-कोटि-गणैः: by groups of crores upon crores
• कोटि-कोटि-गणैः: Karana (Accompaniment/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कोटि (प्रातिपदिक) + कोटि (प्रातिपदिक) + गण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन; समासार्थ: कोटीनां कोटयः (असंख्य) तेषां गणैः

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय

• एव: indeed
• एव: Sambandha (Emphasis/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: निश्चयार्थक-अव्यय (emphasis)

• स्तुवद्भिः: by (those) praising
• स्तुवद्भिः: Karana (Accompaniment/करण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्तु (धातु)
• Form: वर्तमानकाले शतृ-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (present active participle), पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन

• सर्वतः: on all sides
• सर्वतः: Adhikarana (Spatial/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सर्वतः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb: from all sides)

• वृतः: surrounded
• वृतः: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वृ (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) to the sages (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Mahākāla (contextual)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Sages (outer frame)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A vast ring of innumerable celestial hosts around Mahākāla, all singing hymns; the deity remains still at the center while the multitude forms a living mandala.

Characters & Entities

• Gaṇas (hosts)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The sacred becomes a center of universal convergence—praise and devotion multiply when the divine is manifest.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse sits in the Mahākāla-liṅga narrative stream, tied to Mahākāla’s famed sacred region (Ujjain tradition).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit ritual is stated; the emphasis is on stuti (devotional praise) as a dharmic response to divine manifestation.