Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 1

Devanagari script

वाण्युवाच । पलाशो हरिरूपेण सेव्यते हि पुराविदैः । बहुभिर्ह्युपचारैस्तु ब्रह्मवृक्षस्य सेवनम्

Transliteration

vāṇyuvāca | palāśo harirūpeṇa sevyate hi purāvidaiḥ | bahubhirhyupacāraistu brahmavṛkṣasya sevanam

Translation

Vāṇī sprach: Der Palāśa-Baum wird von den Kennern der alten Überlieferung in der Gestalt Haris verehrt. Wahrlich, der Dienst an diesem Brahmā-Baum ist mit vielen rituellen Ehrenbezeugungen und Opfergaben zu vollziehen.

Word by Word

• वाणी: Vāṇī (Sarasvatī)
• वाणी: Karta (Speaker/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वाणी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गः, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriyā (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुषः, एकवचनम्; परस्मैपदम्

• पलाशः: the palāśa tree
• पलाशः: Karma (Object in passive/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पलाश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्

• हरि: Hari (Viṣṇu)
• हरि: Sambandha (Genitival relation within compound/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हरि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गः, समासाङ्ग (compound member)

• रूपेण: in the form of Hari
• रूपेण: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रूप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गम्, तृतीया-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः: हरेः रूपेण

• सेव्यते: is served/worshipped
• सेव्यते: Kriyā (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √सेव् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुषः, एकवचनम्; कर्मणि-प्रयोगः (passive), आत्मनेपदम्

• हि: indeed
• हि: Sambandha (Emphasis/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपातः (particle: indeed/for)

• पुराविदैः: by the knowers of ancient lore
• पुराविदैः: Kartr̥ (Agent in passive/कर्तृ)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुराविद् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गः, तृतीया-विभक्तिः, बहुवचनम्

• बहुभिः: with many
• बहुभिः: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: बहु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसकलिङ्गः, तृतीया-विभक्तिः, बहुवचनम्

• हि: indeed
• हि: Sambandha (Emphasis/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपातः (particle)

• उपचारैः: with services/attentions
• उपचारैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: उपचार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गः, तृतीया-विभक्तिः, बहुवचनम्

• तु: indeed/but
• तु: Sambandha (Contrast/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: निपातः (particle: but/indeed)

• ब्रह्मवृक्षस्य: of the Brahma-tree (palāśa)
• ब्रह्मवृक्षस्य: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्म + वृक्ष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गः, षष्ठी-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; तत्पुरुषः: ब्रह्मणः वृक्षः

• सेवनम्: service/worship
• सेवनम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सेवन (प्रातिपदिक; √सेव् + ल्युट्)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गम्, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; भाववाचक-ल्युट् (action noun)

Speaker

Vāṇī

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Palāśa-vṛkṣa (as worship-object within the kṣetra)

Type: kund

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Implied audience within the narrative frame (likely Nārada/assembly in the Cāturmāsya discourse)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Vāṇī (Sarasvatī) instructs devotees: a palāśa tree is worshipped as Hari; attendants bring offerings—water pot, flowers, incense, lamp—around a flowering palāśa.

Characters & Entities

• Vāṇī
• Palāśa (Butea monosperma)
• Hari (Viṣṇu)
• Brahmavṛkṣa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

To see sacred nature as divine—serving the palāśa as Hari becomes a dharmic act of reverence that yields spiritual merit.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

This verse functions as a tree-māhātmya within the Nāgara Khaṇḍa’s Tīrthamāhātmya, praising the palāśa (Brahmavṛkṣa) as an object of worship rather than naming a single city-tīrtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Performing upacāras—formal acts of worship and offerings—toward the palāśa, honoring it as Hari.