Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 8

Devanagari script

उदतिष्ठत्समीपे मे तस्माद्बिल्वो भवत्वयम् । इमं वृक्षं समासाद्य भक्तितः पत्रसंचयम्

Transliteration

udatiṣṭhatsamīpe me tasmādbilvo bhavatvayam | imaṃ vṛkṣaṃ samāsādya bhaktitaḥ patrasaṃcayam

Translation

Weil er nahe bei mir emporwuchs, soll er daher «Bilva» heißen. Wer sich diesem Baum in Hingabe nähert, der sammle einen Bund seiner Blätter…

Word by Word

• उदतिष्ठत्: arose/stood up
• उदतिष्ठत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: उद्+स्था (धातु)
• Form: लङ्-लकार (Imperfect), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• समीपे: near
• समीपे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: समीप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• मे: of me / my
• मे: Shashthi-sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-विभक्ति (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• तस्मात्: therefore/from that
• तस्मात्: Hetu/Apadana (Cause/Source)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (5th/Ablative), एकवचन

• बिल्वः: bilva tree
• बिल्वः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: बिल्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• भवतु: let it be/become
• भवतु: Kriya (Injunctive/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: लोट्-लकार (Imperative), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• अयम्: this
• अयम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• इमम्: this
• इमम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

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

• समासाद्य: having approached
• समासाद्य: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम्+आ+सद् (धातु)
• Form: ल्यप्/क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (Gerund), ‘having approached/attained’

• भक्तितः: with devotion
• भक्तितः: Hetu (Cause/Manner)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भक्ति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (5th/Ablative) एकवचन; अव्ययीभावार्थे (adverbial: ‘out of devotion/with devotion’)

• पत्रसंचयम्: a collection of leaves
• पत्रसंचयम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पत्र + संचय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (पत्राणां संचयः)

Speaker

Pārvatī

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Bilva-vṛkṣa (sacred bilva tree)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Pārvatī names the tree ‘Bilva’ because it rose near her; she instructs devotees to approach it with bhakti and gather its leaves as a sacred collection for worship.

Characters & Entities

• Pārvatī
• Bilva tree
• bilva leaves

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Devotion expressed through simple offerings—like sacred leaves—becomes a direct path to grace in holy places.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The bilva-tree tīrtha-context in Nāgarakhaṇḍa, where the tree’s very presence near Devī sanctifies the locale.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Approach the bilva tree with bhakti and collect its leaves for worship/offering.