Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 85

Devanagari script

वनानि मागधादीनि पुष्कराणि द्विजोत्तम । शैलराजादयः शैला हिमाद्रिप्रमुखा हि ये

Transliteration

vanāni māgadhādīni puṣkarāṇi dvijottama | śailarājādayaḥ śailā himādripramukhā hi ye

Translation

O best of Brāhmaṇas, the forests beginning with those of Magadha, the sacred Puṣkaras, and the great mountains—Śailarāja and the ranges headed by Himādri (the Himalaya)—all are included among the famed sanctities invoked.

Word by Word

• वनानि: forests
• वनानि: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन

• मागधादीनि: Magadha and others
• मागधादीनि: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मागध + आदि (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; ‘आदि’प्रत्ययार्थक-समास (etc.-ending)

• पुष्कराणि: Puṣkaras (sacred lakes/places named Puṣkara)
• पुष्कराणि: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुष्कर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन

• द्विजोत्तम: O best of the twice-born (brahmin)
• द्विजोत्तम: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्विज + उत्तम (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th/Vocative), एकवचन

• शैलराजादयः: Śailarāja and others
• शैलराजादयः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शैलराज + आदि (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; ‘आदि’प्रत्ययार्थक-समास

• शैलाः: mountains
• शैलाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शैल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन

• हिमाद्रिप्रमुखाः: with Himālaya as foremost
• हिमाद्रिप्रमुखाः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: हिमाद्रि + प्रमुख (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन

• हि: indeed
• हि: Sambandha/Discourse particle
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle/emphasis)

• ये: which/that (those)
• ये: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; सम्बन्धबोधक-सर्वनाम

Speaker

Śrī Kṛṣṇa (contextual)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Dvārakā (implied) in relation to all vanas, puṣkaras (sacred lakes), and śailas (mountains)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Brāhmaṇa (addressed as ‘dvijottama’)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A sweeping panorama: dense Magadha forests, shimmering sacred lakes labeled ‘Puṣkara,’ and towering snow-clad Himādri with a ‘king of mountains’ aura; pilgrims appear tiny, emphasizing scale.

Characters & Entities

• Magadha
• Puṣkara
• Himādri (Himalaya)
• Śailarāja

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacredness is not limited to cities and temples; forests, lakes, and mountains are also dharma-fields where merit is cultivated through reverence and disciplined living.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Puṣkara is a key tīrtha named, alongside broader sacred regions such as Magadha and the Himādri ranges.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None is specified; the verse functions as a catalog of sanctified landscapes.