Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 114

Devanagari script

पथो नदीश्च तीर्थानि चैत्यवृक्षान्महापथान् । स्थानानि तु पिशाचानां निवासायाददां प्रिये

Transliteration

patho nadīśca tīrthāni caityavṛkṣānmahāpathān | sthānāni tu piśācānāṃ nivāsāyādadāṃ priye

Translation

«الطرق والأنهار، ومواطن التيرثا (tīrtha) المقدّسة، والأشجار المعبودة، والطرق العظمى—هذه المواضع أُعيّنها مساكن للبيشاتشا (Piśāca)، يا حبيبة.»

Word by Word

• पथः: paths
• पथः: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पथिन्/पथ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), बहुवचन (वैदिक/प्राकृत-प्रभावित रूप; सामान्यतः ‘पथान्’); सूचीकरणे कर्मपद

• नदीः: rivers
• नदीः: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नदी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), बहुवचन

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

• तीर्थानि: ford-places, sacred bathing spots
• तीर्थानि: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), बहुवचन

• चैत्यवृक्षान्: sacred trees (at shrines)
• चैत्यवृक्षान्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चैत्य + वृक्ष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), बहुवचन; ‘चैत्यस्य वृक्षाः’

• महापथान्: great highways
• महापथान्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महा + पथ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), बहुवचन

• स्थानानि: places
• स्थानानि: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्थान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), बहुवचन

• तु: but/indeed
• तु: Sambandha (Discourse particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle)

• पिशाचानाम्: of the piśācas
• पिशाचानाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पिशाच (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive), बहुवचन; सम्बन्धे (of the piśācas)

• निवासाय: for residence
• निवासाय: Sampradana (Purpose/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: निवास (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी-विभक्ति (Dative), एकवचन; प्रयोजनार्थे (for dwelling)

• अददाम्: I gave
• अददाम्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दा (धातु)
• Form: लङ्-लकार (Imperfect/Past), उत्तमपुरुष (1st person), एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• प्रिये: O dear one
• प्रिये: Sambodhana (Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रिय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative), एकवचन; संबोधनम्

Speaker

Unspecified first-person narrator addressing a beloved (priye) within Prabhāsakṣetra-māhātmya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra (associated tīrthas and caitya-vṛkṣas)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A riverbank tīrtha with a sacred tree (caitya-vṛkṣa) and a long highway; unseen piśācas implied by shadowy forms at the margins while pilgrims keep to lamp-lit, consecrated paths.

Characters & Entities

• Piśāca
• Tīrtha
• Nadī
• Caityavṛkṣa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharma orders the landscape: even disruptive beings are confined to defined zones, preserving the sanctity of human and ritual life.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsakṣetra and its network of rivers, paths, sacred trees, and tīrthas.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No direct ritual; the verse emphasizes tīrtha geography and regulated residence around liminal public spaces.