Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 41

Devanagari script

मूले मध्ये तथाऽग्रे च यस्य नामापि तृप्ति दम् । अन्येऽपि देवा वृक्षांस्तानधिश्रित्य महाद्रुमाः

Transliteration

mūle madhye tathā'gre ca yasya nāmāpi tṛpti dam | anye'pi devā vṛkṣāṃstānadhiśritya mahādrumāḥ

Translation

À sa racine, en son milieu et à sa cime—dont le seul nom donne contentement et accomplissement—d’autres divinités aussi, prenant refuge en ces arbres, demeurent dans les grands arbres.

Word by Word

• मूले: at the root
• मूले: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मूल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• मध्ये: in the middle
• मध्ये: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मध्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• तथा: likewise
• तथा: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रकारवाचक (adverb: likewise/so)

• अग्रे: at the top/front
• अग्रे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अग्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय (conjunction)

• यस्य: whose
• यस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• नाम: name
• नाम: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नामन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• अपि: even
• अपि: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अपि-कार (particle: even/also)

• तृप्तिदम्: giving satisfaction/contentment
• तृप्तिदम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तृप्ति + द (प्रातिपदिक; द = ददाति-सम्बद्ध)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; समासः उपपद-तत्पुरुषः (तृप्तिं ददाति इति)

• अन्ये: other
• अन्ये: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अन्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• अपि: also
• अपि: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय/अपि-कार

• देवाः: gods
• देवाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• वृक्षान्: trees
• वृक्षान्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वृक्ष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• तान्: those
• तान्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचन; सर्वनाम

• अधिश्रित्य: having resorted to
• अधिश्रित्य: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अधि + √श्रि (धातु) + क्त्वा/ल्यप् (कृदन्त)
• Form: ल्यप्-प्रत्ययान्त अव्ययीभाव-रूप (Gerund/absolutive): having resorted to/depending on

• महाद्रुमाः: great trees
• महाद्रुमाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महा + द्रुम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; समासः कर्मधारयः (महान्तः द्रुमाः)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Pippala/Mahādruma and associated devatā-vṛkṣa-grove

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A sacred grove with a central Aśvattha; at root, middle, and crown are subtle divine emblems; surrounding trees host various devas, suggesting a hidden celestial assembly within the forest.

Characters & Entities

• Devas
• Mahādruma (sacred trees)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Even remembrance or utterance of the sacred tree’s name is portrayed as spiritually nourishing, because the tree is treated as a divine dwelling-place.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The ‘tīrtha’ emphasis is on sacred trees as embodiments of sanctity within the Nāgarakhaṇḍa’s tīrtha landscape.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Name-remembrance (nāma-smaraṇa) and honoring the tree in all its parts (root, trunk, crown) are implied modes of worship.