Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 55

Devanagari script

हंससारससंघुष्टं कोकिलाकुलसंकुलम् । सिंहव्याघ्रगजाकीर्णमृक्षवानरसेवितम्

Transliteration

haṃsasārasasaṃghuṣṭaṃ kokilākulasaṃkulam | siṃhavyāghragajākīrṇamṛkṣavānarasevitam

Translation

Resounding with the calls of swans and cranes, crowded with flocks of cuckoos; filled with lions, tigers, and elephants, and frequented by bears and monkeys.

Word by Word

• हंससारससंघुष्टम्: resounding with swans and cranes
• हंससारससंघुष्टम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: हंस + सारस + संघुष्ट (घुष्-धातु → सम्-घुष्ट, क्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular); क्त-प्रत्ययान्त; विशेषण of पुरम्; समास: हंसैः सारसैश्च संघुष्टम् (resounding with swans and cranes)

• कोकिलाकुलसंकुलम्: crowded, teeming with cuckoos
• कोकिलाकुलसंकुलम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कोकिला + आकुल + संकुल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular); विशेषण of पुरम्; कर्मधारय: कोकिलाभिः आकुलं (full of cuckoos) + संकुलम् (crowded)

• सिंहव्याघ्रगजाकीर्णम्: filled with lions, tigers, and elephants
• सिंहव्याघ्रगजाकीर्णम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सिंह + व्याघ्र + गज + आकीर्ण (कॄ/कीर्-धातु → आकीर्ण, क्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular); क्त-प्रत्ययान्त; विशेषण of पुरम्; समास: सिंहैः व्याघ्रैः गजैश्च आकीर्णम् (filled with lions, tigers, elephants)

• ऋक्षवानरसेवितम्: frequented by bears and monkeys
• ऋक्षवानरसेवितम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ऋक्ष + वानर + सेवित (सेव्-धातु → क्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular); क्त-प्रत्ययान्त; विशेषण of पुरम्; समास: ऋक्षैः वानरैश्च सेवितम् (frequented by bears and monkeys)

Speaker

Unspecified (Revā Khaṇḍa narrator; likely Sūta in the frame)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A vibrant grove-city soundscape: swans and cranes calling over lotus waters, cuckoos filling the air; nearby, lions, tigers, and elephants move with controlled majesty; bears and monkeys roam—everything harmonized within the divine realm.

Characters & Entities

• Yama (implicit via Yama-mārga context)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The text frames the otherworldly realm as vibrant and structured, suggesting that dharma’s administration encompasses all beings and environments.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific tīrtha is named; the verse continues the portrayal of a remarkable realm encountered in the Revā Khaṇḍa’s Yama-mārga account.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; this is an atmospheric description.