Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 39

Devanagari script

सिद्धक्षेत्रेषु रथ्यासु जीर्णोद्यानेषु वेश्मसु । दानवानां शरीरेषु बालेषून्मत्तकेषु च

Transliteration

siddhakṣetreṣu rathyāsu jīrṇodyāneṣu veśmasu | dānavānāṃ śarīreṣu bāleṣūnmattakeṣu ca

Translation

In den heiligen Bezirken der Siddhas, auf den Straßen, in verfallenen Gärten und Häusern; in den Leibern der Dānavas, und auch in Kindern und in Wahnsinnigen—(dort halten sie sich auf).

Word by Word

• सिद्धक्षेत्रेषु: in siddha-places (holy fields)
• सिद्धक्षेत्रेषु: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सिद्ध + क्षेत्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; तत्पुरुष-समास (‘सिद्धानां क्षेत्रेषु’/‘sacred perfected-ones’ places’)

• रथ्यासु: in streets
• रथ्यासु: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रथ्या (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• जीर्णोद्यानेषु: in dilapidated gardens
• जीर्णोद्यानेषु: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जीर्ण + उद्यान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; कर्मधारय-समास (‘जीर्णानि उद्यानानि’)

• वेश्मसु: in houses
• वेश्मसु: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वेश्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• दानवानाम्: of the Dānavas (demons)
• दानवानाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दानव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, बहुवचन (gen. pl.)

• शरीरेषु: in bodies
• शरीरेषु: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शरीर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• बालेषु: in children
• बालेषु: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: बाल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• उन्मत्तकेषु: in madmen
• उन्मत्तकेषु: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: उन्मत्तक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयार्थक-निपात (conjunction ‘and’)

Speaker

Narrator (contextual, continuing the description after Śiva’s reply)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Siddha-kṣetra (generic category, not a single named site)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Pārvatī

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A montage-like vision: gaṇas/bhūtas lurking or dwelling in siddha precincts, alley-streets, crumbling gardens and houses; some entering dānava bodies; hovering near children and the mad—suggesting unseen occupation of liminal zones.

Characters & Entities

• Siddhakṣetra (category of holy places)
• Dānavas

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The Purāṇic worldview treats sacred power as pervasive—present in holy precincts and also in liminal, unsettling spaces, urging vigilance and reverence.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse does not name a single tirtha; it references siddha-kṣetras as a revered class of spiritually potent places.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None directly; the mention of siddha-kṣetras implies pilgrimage-awareness and respectful conduct in charged sacred locales.