Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 6

Devanagari script

अर्धक्रोशे च तत्तीर्थं समंतात्परिमंडलम् । एतन्मध्यं महासारं सदैव मुनिवल्लभम्

Transliteration

ardhakrośe ca tattīrthaṃ samaṃtātparimaṃḍalam | etanmadhyaṃ mahāsāraṃ sadaiva munivallabham

Translation

Dieses Tīrtha erstreckt sich ringsum in einem kreisförmigen Bezirk von einem halben Krośa. Sein Mittelpunkt ist die höchste Essenz, den Munis stets lieb und teuer.

Word by Word

• अर्धक्रोशे: within a half-krośa
• अर्धक्रोशे: Adhikaraṇa (Location/Extent)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अर्ध + क्रोश (प्रातिपदिके)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन — द्विगु (‘half-krośa’), locative ‘within a half-krośa (radius)’

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Conjunction)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय — समुच्चय

• तत्: that
• तत्: Visheshana (Determiner)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन — ‘that’ (demonstrative)

• तीर्थम्: the sacred place (tīrtha)
• तीर्थम्: Karta/Pratijna (Topic)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन — ‘sacred ford/pilgrimage spot’

• समन्तात्: on all sides
• समन्तात्: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: समन्तात् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय — परितः/सर्वतः (adverb: on all sides)

• परिमण्डलम्: circular/encircled
• परिमण्डलम्: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: परि + मण्डल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन — ‘circular/encircled’, qualifying तीर्थम्

• एतत्: this
• एतत्: Visheshana (Determiner)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन — ‘this’

• मध्यम्: the center
• मध्यम्: Karta/Pratijna (Topic)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मध्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन — ‘middle/center’

• महासारम्: of great essence
• महासारम्: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महा + सार (प्रातिपदिके)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन — ‘of great essence’, qualifying (एतत्) मध्यम्

• सदैव: always
• सदैव: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सदा + एव (अव्यय-समास)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव — कालवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (always)

• मुनिवल्लभम्: beloved of sages
• मुनिवल्लभम्: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मुनि + वल्लभ (प्रातिपदिके)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन — ‘beloved of sages’, qualifying मध्यम्

Speaker

Śiva (Īśvara) [deduced from section context]

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Mahodaya-tīrtha maṇḍala

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Mahādevī (Pārvatī)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A bird’s-eye sacred diagram: a circular tīrtha-maṇḍala spanning half a krośa, with a luminous central bindu where sages sit in meditation; outer ring shows pilgrims circumambulating.

Characters & Entities

• Tīrtha
• Krośa
• Munis (Sages)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

A tīrtha is not only a point but a sacred landscape; its ‘center’ is depicted as especially potent for spiritual practice.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse continues the praise of the Mahodaya-associated tīrtha within Prabhāsakṣetra.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No specific rite is commanded here; it defines the tīrtha’s sacred extent and highlights the spiritual power of its central area.