Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 7

Devanagari script

श्वापदैर्विविधाकारैः कन्दरै र्गह्वरैस्तथा । सुरासुरगणैः सिद्धैर्यक्षगन्धर्वपन्नगैः

Transliteration

śvāpadairvividhākāraiḥ kandarai rgahvaraistathā | surāsuragaṇaiḥ siddhairyakṣagandharvapannagaiḥ

Translation

Dort gibt es wilde Tiere vieler Gestalten, ebenso Höhlen und tiefe Schluchten. Scharen von Göttern und Asuras, Siddhas sowie Yakṣas, Gandharvas und Nāgas suchen den Ort auf.

Word by Word

• श्वापदैः: with wild beasts/predators
• श्वापदैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्वापद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (करण), बहुवचन — Masculine, Instrumental (3rd), Plural

• विविधाकारैः: of various forms
• विविधाकारैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: विविध (प्रातिपदिक) + आकार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (विविधः आकारः यस्य/येषाम्), पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (करण), बहुवचन — Tatpurusha compound, Masculine, Instrumental (3rd), Plural; विशेषण

• कन्दरैः: with caves
• कन्दरैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कन्दर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (करण), बहुवचन — Masculine, Instrumental (3rd), Plural

• गह्वरैः: with deep ravines/chasms
• गह्वरैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गह्वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (करण), बहुवचन — Neuter, Instrumental (3rd), Plural

• तथा: likewise
• तथा: Sambandha (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: क्रियाविशेषण (adverb: likewise)

• सुरासुरगणैः: with hosts of gods and demons
• सुरासुरगणैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सुर (प्रातिपदिक) + असुर (प्रातिपदिक) + गण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (सुराश्च असुराश्च तेषां गणाः), पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (करण), बहुवचन — Tatpurusha compound, Masculine, Instrumental (3rd), Plural

• सिद्धैः: with siddhas (perfected beings)
• सिद्धैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सिद्ध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (करण), बहुवचन — Masculine, Instrumental (3rd), Plural

• यक्षगन्धर्वपन्नगैः: with yakṣas, gandharvas, and serpents
• यक्षगन्धर्वपन्नगैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यक्ष (प्रातिपदिक) + गन्धर्व (प्रातिपदिक) + पन्नग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: द्वन्द्व-समास (यक्षाः+गन्धर्वाः+पन्नगाः), पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (करण), बहुवचन — Dvandva compound, Masculine, Instrumental (3rd), Plural

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva) (continued narration)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra (Devikā-taṭa vicinity)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Devī/Umā (‘mahādevi’ addressed)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A rugged sacred landscape: dark caves and deep ravines opening into a luminous riverbank; wild beasts at the periphery; in the sky and among trees appear siddhas, yakṣas, gandharvas, and nāgas, indicating a charged, otherworldly sanctuary.

Characters & Entities

• Śvāpada
• Kandara (caves)
• Gahvara (ravines)
• Suras
• Asuras
• Siddhas
• Yakṣas
• Gandharvas
• Pannagas (Nāgas)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

A true kṣetra is depicted as a meeting-ground of worlds—human, natural, and divine—indicating exceptional sanctity and spiritual potency.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Devikā/Kāmika kṣetra (near Ṛṣi-tīrtha) within the Prabhāsa-kṣetra-māhātmya.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None in this verse; it expands the māhātmya through topography (caves/ravines) and the presence of celestial and semi-celestial beings.