Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 191

Devanagari script

वृक्षगुल्मौषधीश्चैव प्रसह्याशु यथाबलम् । विपर्ययेण चौषध्यः प्रनष्टाश्च चतुर्दश

Transliteration

vṛkṣagulmauṣadhīścaiva prasahyāśu yathābalam | viparyayeṇa cauṣadhyaḥ pranaṣṭāśca caturdaśa

Translation

Bäume, Sträucher und Heilkräuter wurden rasch überwältigt, je nach der Kraft eines jeden; und durch eine verkehrte Umkehr gingen vierzehn Arten von Kräutern zugrunde.

Word by Word

• vṛkṣa-gulma-auṣadhīḥ: trees, shrubs, and herbs
• vṛkṣa-gulma-auṣadhīḥ: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vṛkṣa (प्रातिपदिक) + gulma (प्रातिपदिक) + auṣadhi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (feminine), द्वितीया (Accusative/2nd), बहुवचन (plural)

• ca: and
• ca: Samuccaya (Conjunction)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय (conjunction)

• eva: indeed
• eva: Emphasis (Nipāta)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारण (emphatic particle)

• prasahya: forcibly
• prasahya: Pūrvakāla-kriyā (Manner/Prior action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sah (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय (gerund/absolutive) ‘प्रसह्य’ = बलात् कृत्वा/सहित्वा; क्रियाविशेषण-भाव

• āśu: quickly
• āśu: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: āśu (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रियाविशेषण (adverb)

• yathā-balam: according to (one's) strength
• yathā-balam: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yathā (अव्यय) + bala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव-समास; क्रियाविशेषण (adverbial)

• viparyayeṇa: by reversal/contrary change
• viparyayeṇa: Karaṇa/Hetu (Means/Cause)
• Type: Noun
• Root: viparyaya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (masculine), तृतीया (Instrumental/3rd), एकवचन (singular); हेतौ/प्रकारे (by reversal/contrary condition)

• ca: and
• ca: Samuccaya (Conjunction)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय (conjunction)

• auṣadhyaḥ: herbs
• auṣadhyaḥ: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: auṣadhi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (feminine), प्रथमा (Nominative/1st), बहुवचन (plural)

• pranaṣṭāḥ: were destroyed/perished
• pranaṣṭāḥ: Kriyā (Predicative/State)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra + naś (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (past passive participle), स्त्रीलिङ्ग (feminine), प्रथमा (Nominative/1st), बहुवचन (plural); auṣadhyaḥ इत्यस्य विशेषण/विधेय

• ca: and
• ca: Samuccaya (Conjunction)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय (conjunction)

• caturdaśa: fourteen
• caturdaśa: Saṅkhyā (Numeral qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: caturdaśa (संख्यावाचक-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययवत् संख्याशब्दः (numeral); auṣadhyaḥ इति पदस्य संख्या

Speaker

Lomaharṣaṇa (Sūta) to the sages (deduced from Māheśvarakhaṇḍa narrative style)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Once-lush groves now trampled; people forcibly taking plants; medicinal herbs wither and vanish; a palpable sense of imbalance and sorrow.

Characters & Entities

• vṛkṣa (trees)
• gulma (shrubs)
• auṣadhi (herbs)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

When dharma weakens, disorder appears not only in society but also in nature—vital life-supporting herbs and plants decline.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

None; the verse is cosmological/ethical rather than a tīrtha-māhātmya passage.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it narrates a deterioration of the natural order.