Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 67
मर्त्यान्पितॄंश्च देवांश्च तेन भूर्निक्षुभा स्मृता । यथा राज्ञी च संजाता यस्य चेयं सुता मता
martyānpitṝṃśca devāṃśca tena bhūrnikṣubhā smṛtā | yathā rājñī ca saṃjātā yasya ceyaṃ sutā matā
Since she sustains mortals, the Pitṛs, and even the gods, the Earth is remembered as ‘Nikṣubhā’—the one who wards off hunger. And she is regarded as the daughter of that source from which she arose, as a queen is born into royal lineage.
Sūta (deduced for Prabhāsa-khaṇḍa māhātmya narration)
Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra
Type: kshetra
Scene: Bhū-devī depicted as a regal queen-mother, sheltering three groups—humans, ancestors, and gods—under her mantle; an inscription-like motif of the name ‘Nikṣubhā’.
FAQs
Earth is sacred because she sustains all orders of beings; reverence for Bhūmi is a core Purāṇic ethic tied to dharma and gratitude.
The verse occurs within the glorification of Prabhāsa-kṣetra, framing cosmic themes within that sacred geography.
No direct prescription; it supports the ritual worldview in which devas and Pitṛs are sustained through dharmic order and offerings.