Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 125

Devanagari script

इति प्रोक्तं मया विप्रा गुप्तक्षेत्रं समासतः । सप्तक्रोशप्रमाणं च क्षेत्रस्यास्य पुरा द्विजाः । स्वयंभुवा प्रोक्तमिदं सर्वकामार्थसिद्धिदम्

Transliteration

iti proktaṃ mayā viprā guptakṣetraṃ samāsataḥ | saptakrośapramāṇaṃ ca kṣetrasyāsya purā dvijāḥ | svayaṃbhuvā proktamidaṃ sarvakāmārthasiddhidam

Translation

Ainsi, ô brāhmanes, j’ai brièvement exposé le Guptakṣetra. Jadis, ô deux-fois-nés, l’étendue de cette région sacrée fut déclarée de sept krośas. Cet enseignement fut donné par Svayaṃbhū (Brahmā) et confère l’accomplissement de tous les buts et désirs.

Word by Word

• iti: thus
• iti: Sambandha (Discourse marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iti (अव्यय)
• Form: उक्त्यर्थक-अव्यय (quotative particle)

• proktam: was said
• proktam: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra-√vac (वच् धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त-क्त (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया एकवचन; कर्मणि प्रयोगे मुख्यवाक्य-क्रियासदृश

• mayā: by me
• mayā: Karana (Agent-instrument in passive/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन (Singular), उत्तमपुरुष-सर्वनाम

• viprāḥ: O brāhmaṇas
• viprāḥ: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vipra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), सम्बोधन/प्रथमा बहुवचन (Vocative/Nominative Plural; address)

• gupta-kṣetram: the hidden sacred field
• gupta-kṣetram: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gupta (कृदन्त, √gup) + kṣetra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन (Singular); कर्मधारय (guptaṃ kṣetram)

• samāsataḥ: briefly
• samāsataḥ: Sambandha (Manner/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: samāsa (प्रातिपदिक) + tas (तस्-प्रत्यय)
• Form: तसिल्-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय, प्रकारे/संक्षेपे (in brief)

• sapta-krośa-pramāṇam: (its) measure of seven krośas
• sapta-krośa-pramāṇam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sapta (संख्या) + krośa (प्रातिपदिक) + pramāṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), प्रथमा/द्वितीया एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (sapta-krośasya pramāṇam = measure of seven krośas)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• kṣetrasya: of the field
• kṣetrasya: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kṣetra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन (Singular)

• asya: of this
• asya: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: idam (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन (Singular), सर्वनाम

• purā: formerly
• purā: Kala (Time/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: purā (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (adverb of time: formerly)

• dvijāḥ: O twice-born
• dvijāḥ: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dvija (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), सम्बोधन/प्रथमा बहुवचन (Vocative/Nominative Plural; address)

• svayaṃbhuvā: by Svayaṃbhū (Brahmā)
• svayaṃbhuvā: Karana (Agent-instrument in passive/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: svayaṃbhū (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन (Singular)

• proktam: was said
• proktam: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra-√vac (वच् धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त-क्त (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया एकवचन

• idam: this
• idam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: idam (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), प्रथमा/द्वितीया (Nom/Acc), एकवचन (Singular), सर्वनाम

• sarva-kāma-artha-siddhi-dam: granting fulfillment of all desires and aims
• sarva-kāma-artha-siddhi-dam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक) + kāma (प्रातिपदिक) + artha (प्रातिपदिक) + siddhi (प्रातिपदिक) + da (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), प्रथमा/द्वितीया एकवचन; बहुपद-तत्पुरुष (sarveṣāṃ kāmānām arthānāṃ ca siddhiṃ dadāti iti)

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) addressing sages/brāhmaṇas

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Guptakṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Brāhmaṇas (viprāḥ/dvijāḥ)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A map-like sacred mandala: seven-krośa circuit marked by shrines, trees, and tīrthas; Skanda (or narrator-sage) instructing assembled brāhmaṇas; Brahmā in a visionary inset indicating ancient proclamation.

Characters & Entities

• Guptakṣetra
• Svayaṃbhū (Brahmā)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

A kṣetra’s sanctity includes defined sacred geography, and remembering it is said to grant comprehensive life-fulfillment (kāma and artha) aligned with dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Guptakṣetra, described as a seven-krośa sacred region.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No specific ritual; it provides the kṣetra’s description and its promised fruit.