Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 24

Devanagari script

तदाकाशभवा वाणीं प्राह देवान्यथार्थतः । ईश्वरः सर्वभूतानां कृपया वृक्षमाश्रितः

Transliteration

tadākāśabhavā vāṇīṃ prāha devānyathārthataḥ | īśvaraḥ sarvabhūtānāṃ kṛpayā vṛkṣamāśritaḥ

Translation

Da sprach eine aus dem Himmel entstandene Stimme wahrhaft zu den Göttern: „Īśvara hat aus Mitgefühl für alle Wesen Zuflucht in einem Baum genommen.“

Word by Word

• तदा: then
• तदा: Sambandha (Temporal link/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तदा (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (temporal adverb)

• आकाशभवा: arisen from the sky
• आकाशभवा: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: आकाशभव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषसमासः (आकाशात् भवति)

• वाणीम्: speech; a voice
• वाणीम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वाणी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन

• प्राह: said; spoke
• प्राह: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र + अह्/ब्रू (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect/परोक्षभूत), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person/प्रथम), एकवचन; ‘ब्रू’ अर्थे

• देवान्: to the gods
• देवान्: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), बहुवचन

• यथार्थतः: truthfully; as it really is
• यथार्थतः: Sambandha (Manner/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथार्थतः (अव्यय)
• Form: रीत्यर्थक-अव्यय (adverb of manner)

• ईश्वरः: the Lord
• ईश्वरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ईश्वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन

• सर्वभूतानाम्: of all beings
• सर्वभूतानाम्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्वभूत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), बहुवचन; कर्मधारयसमासः (सर्वाणि भूतानि)

• कृपया: out of compassion; by mercy
• कृपया: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कृपा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), एकवचन

• वृक्षम्: a tree
• वृक्षम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वृक्ष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन

• आश्रितः: having taken refuge in; resorting to
• आश्रितः: Karta (Predicate/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: आ + श्रि (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; ‘आश्रित’ = having resorted to

Speaker

Ākāśavāṇī (celestial voice)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Īśvara-vṛkṣa-āśraya (Śiva in the tree)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The devas pause beneath towering trees; from the open sky descends a stream of light with unseen speech (ākāśa-vāṇī). The grove glows, indicating Śiva’s compassionate presence within a tree.

Characters & Entities

• Ākāśavāṇī
• Devas
• Īśvara

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The Lord’s compassion makes the sacred landscape accessible—divinity can be encountered even through a tree-form presence.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The immediate sacred focus is a tree-abode of Īśvara within the Nāgarakhaṇḍa Tīrthamāhātmya setting; the exact location-name is not stated in this verse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Implicitly, one should approach and serve the sacred tree as a locus of Īśvara’s presence.