Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 35

Devanagari script

अद्राक्षं पुण्यभूमिस्थं ग्रामरत्नमहं महत् । शतयोजनविस्तीर्णं नानावृक्षसमाकुलम्

Transliteration

adrākṣaṃ puṇyabhūmisthaṃ grāmaratnamahaṃ mahat | śatayojanavistīrṇaṃ nānāvṛkṣasamākulam

Translation

Je vis, établie sur une terre sainte, une grande bourgade—joyau parmi les villages—s’étendant sur cent yojanas, foisonnante d’arbres de toutes sortes.

Word by Word

• अद्राक्षम्: I saw
• अद्राक्षम्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश् (धातु)
• Form: लुङ्-लकारः (Aorist/Imperfective past), उत्तम-पुरुषः (1st), एकवचनम्; परस्मैपदम्

• पुण्यभूमिस्थम्: situated in a holy land
• पुण्यभूमिस्थम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पुण्य (प्रातिपदिक) + भूमि (प्रातिपदिक) + स्थ (कृदन्त/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, द्वितीया-विभक्तिः (Accusative/2nd), एकवचनम्; विशेषणम्

• ग्रामरत्नम्: a village-jewel (excellent village)
• ग्रामरत्नम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ग्राम (प्रातिपदिक) + रत्न (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, द्वितीया-विभक्तिः (Accusative/2nd), एकवचनम्

• अहम्: I
• अहम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: प्रथमा-विभक्तिः (Nominative/1st), एकवचनम्

• महत्: great, large
• महत्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, द्वितीया-विभक्तिः (Accusative/2nd), एकवचनम्; विशेषणम्

• शतयोजनविस्तीर्णम्: spread over a hundred yojanas
• शतयोजनविस्तीर्णम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शत (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक) + योजन (प्रातिपदिक) + विस्तीर्ण (कृदन्त/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, द्वितीया-विभक्तिः (Accusative/2nd), एकवचनम्; परिमाण-विशेषणम्

• नानावृक्षसमाकुलम्: filled with various trees
• नानावृक्षसमाकुलम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: नाना (अव्यय/प्रातिपदिक) + वृक्ष (प्रातिपदिक) + समाकुल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, द्वितीया-विभक्तिः (Accusative/2nd), एकवचनम्; विशेषणम्

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa), contextual attribution within Māheśvarakhaṇḍa narration

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A panoramic reveal: an immense sacred settlement nestled in a verdant expanse—many tree species, flowering groves, shaded paths, and hermitage clusters; the narrator beholds it in awe.

Characters & Entities

• Kalāpa-grāma (implied as the village described)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred space is portrayed as visibly auspicious—holy land manifests as abundance, harmony, and a ‘jewel-like’ settlement.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kalāpa-grāma (implied) is glorified as a vast, blessed settlement on puṇya-bhūmi.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None is explicit in this verse; it is a descriptive mahatmya-style vision of the place.