Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 22

Devanagari script

एते वृक्षा महाश्रेष्ठाः सर्वे देवांशसंभवाः । एतेषां स्पर्शनादेव सर्वपापैः प्रमुच्यते

Transliteration

ete vṛkṣā mahāśreṣṭhāḥ sarve devāṃśasaṃbhavāḥ | eteṣāṃ sparśanādeva sarvapāpaiḥ pramucyate

Translation

Ces arbres sont des plus excellents : tous sont nés d’une part des dieux. Par le seul fait de les toucher, on est délivré de tous les péchés.

Word by Word

• ete: these
• ete: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: etad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; सर्वनाम

• vṛkṣāḥ: trees
• vṛkṣāḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vṛkṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन

• mahā-śreṣṭhāḥ: very excellent
• mahā-śreṣṭhāḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mahā (प्रातिपदिक) + śreṣṭha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; कर्मधारय (महान्तः श्रेष्ठाः) विशेषण (vṛkṣāḥ)

• sarve: all
• sarve: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; विशेषण (vṛkṣāḥ)

• deva-aṃśa-saṃbhavāḥ: born from the gods’ portions
• deva-aṃśa-saṃbhavāḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: deva (प्रातिपदिक) + aṃśa (प्रातिपदिक) + saṃbhava (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (देवानाम् अंशः; तस्मात् सम्भवः) विशेषण (vṛkṣāḥ)

• eteṣām: of these
• eteṣām: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: etad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (6th), बहुवचन

• sparśanāt: from (their) touch
• sparśanāt: Apādāna (अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sparśana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th), एकवचन; अपादान (from touching)

• eva: indeed/just
• eva: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधारण (just/only)

• sarva-pāpaiḥ: from all sins
• sarva-pāpaiḥ: Hetu/Karaṇa (हेतु/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक) + pāpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), बहुवचन; कर्मधारय (सर्वाणि पापानि)

• pramucyate: is freed
• pramucyate: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra+√muc (धातु)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद; कर्मणि/भावे प्रयोग (is released)

Speaker

Deductive (Tīrthamāhātmya narrator within Nāgarakhaṇḍa; exact speaker not in snippet)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Deva-aṃśa Vṛkṣa-kṣetra (Mandara grove trees)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Pilgrims and devas gently place palms on ancient trunks; the bark glows with subtle divine sigils; a stream of dark ‘pāpa’ smoke dissolves into light as contact is made.

Characters & Entities

• Devas
• Sacred trees

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Nature, especially sacred trees, is a vessel of divine presence; respectful contact and service becomes a means of purification.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse glorifies the sacred grove/tree-presence within Nāgarakhaṇḍa’s Tīrthamāhātmya context; a specific named tīrtha is not provided here.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Sparśa (reverent touching) and by extension service/worship of these sacred trees is recommended for pāpa-kṣaya.