Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 7

Devanagari script

पालाशः सर्वदेवानामाधारो धर्मसाधनम् । यत्र लोभस्तु तस्य स्यात्तत्र पूज्यो महातरुः

Transliteration

pālāśaḥ sarvadevānāmādhāro dharmasādhanam | yatra lobhastu tasya syāttatra pūjyo mahātaruḥ

Translation

Der Palāśa ist die Stütze aller Götter und ein Mittel zur Verwirklichung des Dharma. Wo immer Gier in Bezug auf ihn aufkommt, dort soll vielmehr dieser große Baum verehrt werden.

Word by Word

• पालाशः: the palāśa (tree)
• पालाशः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पालाश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st), एकवचन

• सर्वदेवानाम्: of all the gods
• सर्वदेवानाम्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक) + देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय (सर्वे देवाः); पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (6th), बहुवचन; सम्बन्ध

• आधारः: support/base
• आधारः: Sambandha (Predicate/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आधार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st), एकवचन; विधेय-नाम (predicate nominative)

• धर्मसाधनम्: means of dharma
• धर्मसाधनम्: Sambandha (Predicate/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धर्म (प्रातिपदिक) + साधन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (धर्मस्य साधनम्); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विधेय-नाम

• यत्र: where
• यत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (relative adverb: where)

• लोभः: greed
• लोभः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लोभ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st), एकवचन

• तु: but/indeed
• तु: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: विरोध/अवधारण-अव्यय (particle)

• तस्य: of it/of that
• तस्य: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (6th), एकवचन; सम्बन्ध

• स्यात्: may be/should be
• स्यात्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ्-लकार (optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (correlative adverb: there)

• पूज्यः: worthy to be worshipped
• पूज्यः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पूज् (धातु) → पूज्य (कृदन्त, यत्-प्रत्यय)
• Form: यत्-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (gerundive: 'to be worshipped'), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विधेय-विशेषण

• महातरुः: the great tree
• महातरुः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महा (प्रातिपदिक) + तरु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय (महान् तरुः); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st), एकवचन

Speaker

Vāṇī

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Palāśa (Brahma-vṛkṣa)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A great palāśa tree revered by devotees; a person tempted to cut branches is shown turning to worship instead, with gods subtly indicated as residing within the tree.

Characters & Entities

• Palāśa
• Sarvadeva
• Dharma
• Lobha

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Transform possessiveness into devotion: when greed arises, redirect the mind to worship and dharma rather than exploitation.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No single tīrtha is named; the verse teaches tīrtha-dharma through reverence for the palāśa as a sacred support of the devas.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Pūjā of the palāśa (mahātaru), especially as an antidote to lobha (greed).