Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 70

Devanagari script

वृक्षचत्वरवासिन्यश्चतुष्पथनिवेशनाः । गुहास्मशानवासिन्यः शैलप्रस्रवणालयाः

Transliteration

vṛkṣacatvaravāsinyaścatuṣpathaniveśanāḥ | guhāsmaśānavāsinyaḥ śailaprasravaṇālayāḥ

Translation

منهنّ من تسكن البساتين وظلال الأشجار والساحات العامة؛ ومنهنّ من تقيم عند مفارق الطرق. ومنهنّ من تعيش في الكهوف ومواطن الحرق؛ ومنهنّ من تتخذ من ينابيع الجبال وشلالاتها مقاماً.

Word by Word

• vṛkṣa-catvara-vāsinyaḥ: (those) dwelling in tree-squares/courtyards
• vṛkṣa-catvara-vāsinyaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vṛkṣa (प्रातिपदिक) + catvara (प्रातिपदिक) + vāsinī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; विशेषण-प्रयोगः (fem. nom. pl. adjective)

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

• catuṣpatha-niveśanāḥ: having dwellings at crossroads
• catuṣpatha-niveśanāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: catuṣpatha (प्रातिपदिक) + niveśana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; विशेषण-प्रयोगः (masc. nom. pl. adjective)

• guhā-śmaśāna-vāsinyaḥ: dwelling in caves and cremation-grounds
• guhā-śmaśāna-vāsinyaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: guhā (प्रातिपदिक) + śmaśāna (प्रातिपदिक) + vāsinī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; विशेषण-प्रयोगः (fem. nom. pl. adjective)

• śaila-prasravaṇa-ālayāḥ: having abodes at mountain-springs
• śaila-prasravaṇa-ālayāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śaila (प्रातिपदिक) + prasravaṇa (प्रातिपदिक) + ālaya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; विशेषण-प्रयोगः (masc. nom. pl. adjective)

Speaker

Lomaharṣaṇa (Sūta), narrating to the sages

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A ring of uncanny female and spirit-like attendants inhabiting groves, crossroads, caves, cremation-grounds, and misty mountain springs—suggesting a vast sacred perimeter around Guha.

Characters & Entities

• Mātṛs (Mother-goddesses)
• Śmaśāna (cremation ground)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The sacred is not confined to temples; divine guardianship pervades forests, crossroads, caves, cremation grounds, and mountain waters.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No single tīrtha is named; the verse maps a broad sacred landscape of abodes (ālaya) associated with the Mothers.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly; it describes locations where these beings are said to dwell.