Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 155

Devanagari script

तस्मिन्वने सप्तमहाद्रुमास्तु सप्तैव नद्यश्च फलानि सप्त । सप्ताश्रमाः सप्त समाधयश्च दीक्षाश्च सप्तैतदरण्यरूपम्

Transliteration

tasminvane saptamahādrumāstu saptaiva nadyaśca phalāni sapta | saptāśramāḥ sapta samādhayaśca dīkṣāśca saptaitadaraṇyarūpam

Translation

Dans cette forêt se trouvent sept grands arbres, sept rivières et sept sortes de fruits. Il y a sept ermitages, sept samādhis et sept initiations (dīkṣā) : telle est la forme même de ce bois sacré.

Word by Word

• तस्मिन्: in that
• तस्मिन्: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंस, सप्तमी, एकवचन (locative singular)

• वने: in the forest
• वने: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन (locative singular)

• सप्त: seven
• सप्त: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सप्त (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय-प्रायः संख्या (numeral; used as qualifier)

• महा: great
• महा: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पूर्वपद, अव्यय-प्रायः (first member)

• द्रुमाः: trees
• द्रुमाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्रुम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन (masculine, nominative plural); कर्मधारयः in महा-द्रुम; with सप्त as numeral qualifier

• अस्तु: let there be
• अस्तु: Kriyā (Predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (imperative/benedictive sense), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन (3rd person singular)

• सप्त: seven
• सप्त: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सप्त (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: संख्या (numeral qualifier)

• एव: indeed; exactly
• एव: Sambandha (Emphasis)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारण-अव्यय (particle of emphasis)

• नद्यः: rivers
• नद्यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नदी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन (feminine, nominative plural)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (conjunction)

• फलानि: fruits
• फलानि: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: फल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन (neuter, nominative plural)

• सप्त: seven
• सप्त: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सप्त (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: संख्या (numeral qualifier)

• सप्त: seven
• सप्त: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सप्त (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: संख्या (numeral qualifier)

• आश्रमाः: hermitages; stages of life
• आश्रमाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आश्रम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन (masculine, nominative plural)

• सप्त: seven
• सप्त: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सप्त (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: संख्या (numeral qualifier)

• समाधयः: absorptions; meditative concentrations
• समाधयः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: समाधि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन (masculine, nominative plural)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (conjunction)

• दीक्षाः: initiations; consecrations
• दीक्षाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दीक्षा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन (feminine, nominative plural)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (conjunction)

• सप्त: seven
• सप्त: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सप्त (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: संख्या (numeral qualifier)

• एतत्: this
• एतत्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन (neuter, nominative/accusative singular; compound-member stem)

• अरण्य: forest
• अरण्य: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अरण्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन (neuter, nominative/accusative singular; compound-member stem)

• रूपम्: form; nature
• रूपम्: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa/Viśeṣya (Predicate nominal)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रूप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन (neuter, nominative/accusative singular); षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः in एतद्-अरण्य-रूप (having the form of this forest)

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) to the sages (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Sapta-araṇya (implied)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A sacred forest laid out like a mandala: seven towering trees in a heptagonal arrangement; seven rivers flowing outward; seven fruit-bearing groves; seven hermitages with sages; above them, seven luminous ‘samādhi’ halos; seven initiation fires/altars marking dīkṣā stations.

Characters & Entities

• Vidyāvana

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

A holy place is mapped as a complete spiritual ecosystem—nature, practice, and initiation together shape liberation-oriented life.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Vidyāvana, portrayed as a sanctified forest whose inner ‘topography’ is defined by sacred sevens.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Dīkṣā (initiation) and samādhi (deep meditation) are highlighted as integral to the forest’s dharmic character.