Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 36

Devanagari script

नागा यक्षाश्च गन्धर्वा अस्मिन्क्षेत्रे व्यवस्थिताः । ब्रह्मांडं निर्मितं येन त्रैलोक्यं सचराचरम्

Transliteration

nāgā yakṣāśca gandharvā asminkṣetre vyavasthitāḥ | brahmāṃḍaṃ nirmitaṃ yena trailokyaṃ sacarācaram

Translation

Nāgas, Yakṣas und Gandharvas weilen fest gegründet in diesem heiligen Kṣetra. Hier ist Der, durch den das Brahmāṇḍa geformt wurde: die drei Welten mit allem Beweglichen und Unbeweglichen.

Word by Word

• nāgāḥ: Nāgas (serpent-beings)
• nāgāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nāga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• yakṣāḥ: Yakṣas
• yakṣāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yakṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• gandharvāḥ: Gandharvas
• gandharvāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gandharva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• asmin: in this
• asmin: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: idam (प्रातिपदik)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (locative), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• kṣetre: in the sacred place/field
• kṣetre: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kṣetra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन

• vyavasthitāḥ: are stationed, established
• vyavasthitāḥ: Kriya (Predicate participle/क्रिया)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sthā (धातु) + vi-ava (उपसर्ग)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (past participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• brahmāṇḍam: the cosmic egg, universe
• brahmāṇḍam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brahman (प्रातिपदिक) + aṇḍa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (accusative), एकवचन

• nirmitam: created, constructed
• nirmitam: Kriya (Predicate participle/क्रिया)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mā (धातु) + nir- (उपसर्ग)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; (brahmāṇḍam) इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

• yena: by whom
• yena: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (instrumental), एकवचन; सम्बन्धबोधक-यत् (relative pronoun)

• trailokyam: the three worlds
• trailokyam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tri (संख्या) + loka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘त्रयः लोकाः’ इति द्विगु-समास

• sa-cara-acaram: with the moving and the unmoving
• sa-cara-acaram: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sa (अव्यय/उपसर्गार्थ ‘सहित’) + cara (प्रातिपदिक) + acara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; द्वन्द्व-समास (चर + अचर), ‘स’ = सहित (with)

Speaker

Sārasvata (narrator/teacher) speaking to Bhojarāja (inferred from immediate context leading into Adhyāya 8 dialogue)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Vastrāpatha-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Devī (contextually)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A sacred grove and riverbank in Vastrāpatha: nāgas coiled near subterranean springs, yakṣas as guardian figures at the edges, gandharvas hovering with instruments; above, a vast translucent ‘cosmic egg’ motif containing the three worlds, hinting at the creator’s presence permeating the scene.

Characters & Entities

• Nāga
• Yakṣa
• Gandharva
• Trailokya
• Brahmāṇḍa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

A true tīrtha is not merely a location; it is a living sacred field where cosmic order and divine presence are palpably established.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Vastrāpatha-kṣetra in the Prabhāsa region (Vastrāpathakṣetra-māhātmya).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No specific ritual is prescribed here; the verse emphasizes the sanctity and cosmic scope of the kṣetra.