Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 155

Devanagari script

तस्मिन्वने सप्तमहाद्रुमास्तु सप्तैव नद्यश्च फलानि सप्त । सप्ताश्रमाः सप्त समाधयश्च दीक्षाश्च सप्तैतदरण्यरूपम्

Transliteration

tasminvane saptamahādrumāstu saptaiva nadyaśca phalāni sapta | saptāśramāḥ sapta samādhayaśca dīkṣāśca saptaitadaraṇyarūpam

Translation

في تلك الغابة سبعُ شجراتٍ عِظام، وسبعةُ أنهار، وسبعةُ أصنافٍ من الثمار. وفيها سبعةُ مَناسِكَ (آشرَمات)، وسبعةُ سَمادهيات، وسبعُ طقوسِ تَكريسٍ (ديكشا)—فهذه هي صورةُ ذلك الأَجَمِ المقدّس بعينها.

Word by Word

• तस्मिन्: in that
• तस्मिन्: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंस, सप्तमी, एकवचन (locative singular)

• वने: in the forest
• वने: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन (locative singular)

• सप्त: seven
• सप्त: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सप्त (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय-प्रायः संख्या (numeral; used as qualifier)

• महा: great
• महा: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पूर्वपद, अव्यय-प्रायः (first member)

• द्रुमाः: trees
• द्रुमाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्रुम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन (masculine, nominative plural); कर्मधारयः in महा-द्रुम; with सप्त as numeral qualifier

• अस्तु: let there be
• अस्तु: Kriyā (Predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (imperative/benedictive sense), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन (3rd person singular)

• सप्त: seven
• सप्त: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सप्त (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: संख्या (numeral qualifier)

• एव: indeed; exactly
• एव: Sambandha (Emphasis)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारण-अव्यय (particle of emphasis)

• नद्यः: rivers
• नद्यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नदी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन (feminine, nominative plural)

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

• फलानि: fruits
• फलानि: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: फल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन (neuter, nominative plural)

• सप्त: seven
• सप्त: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सप्त (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: संख्या (numeral qualifier)

• सप्त: seven
• सप्त: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सप्त (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: संख्या (numeral qualifier)

• आश्रमाः: hermitages; stages of life
• आश्रमाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आश्रम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन (masculine, nominative plural)

• सप्त: seven
• सप्त: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सप्त (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: संख्या (numeral qualifier)

• समाधयः: absorptions; meditative concentrations
• समाधयः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: समाधि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन (masculine, nominative plural)

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

• दीक्षाः: initiations; consecrations
• दीक्षाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दीक्षा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन (feminine, nominative plural)

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

• सप्त: seven
• सप्त: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सप्त (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: संख्या (numeral qualifier)

• एतत्: this
• एतत्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन (neuter, nominative/accusative singular; compound-member stem)

• अरण्य: forest
• अरण्य: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अरण्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन (neuter, nominative/accusative singular; compound-member stem)

• रूपम्: form; nature
• रूपम्: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa/Viśeṣya (Predicate nominal)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रूप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन (neuter, nominative/accusative singular); षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः in एतद्-अरण्य-रूप (having the form of this forest)

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) to the sages (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Sapta-araṇya (implied)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A sacred forest laid out like a mandala: seven towering trees in a heptagonal arrangement; seven rivers flowing outward; seven fruit-bearing groves; seven hermitages with sages; above them, seven luminous ‘samādhi’ halos; seven initiation fires/altars marking dīkṣā stations.

Characters & Entities

• Vidyāvana

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

A holy place is mapped as a complete spiritual ecosystem—nature, practice, and initiation together shape liberation-oriented life.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Vidyāvana, portrayed as a sanctified forest whose inner ‘topography’ is defined by sacred sevens.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Dīkṣā (initiation) and samādhi (deep meditation) are highlighted as integral to the forest’s dharmic character.