Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 32

Devanagari script

समुद्रप्रतिमं चारु पद्मिनीखंडमंडितम् । मत्स्यकच्छपसंकीर्णं शिशुमारविराजितम्

Transliteration

samudrapratimaṃ cāru padminīkhaṃḍamaṃḍitam | matsyakacchapasaṃkīrṇaṃ śiśumāravirājitam

Translation

C'était charmant, tel l'océan dans sa grandeur, orné de grappes de lotus, regorgeant de poissons et de tortues, et resplendissant de créatures aquatiques.

Word by Word

• समुद्रप्रतिमम्: like the ocean
• समुद्रप्रतिमम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: समुद्र + प्रतिम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (‘ocean-like’); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषण

• चारु: beautiful
• चारु: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: चारु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषण

• पद्मिनीखण्डमण्डितम्: adorned with lotus-pond sections
• पद्मिनीखण्डमण्डितम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पद्मिनी + खण्ड + मण्डित (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: बहुपद-तत्पुरुष-समास (‘adorned with pieces/sections of lotus-ponds/lotus-groves’); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषण

• मत्स्यकच्छपसंकीर्णम्: teeming with fish and turtles
• मत्स्यकच्छपसंकीर्णम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मत्स्य + कच्छप + संकीर्ण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (‘filled with fish and turtles’); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषण

• शिशुमारविराजितम्: brightened by dolphins
• शिशुमारविराजितम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शिशुमार + विराजित (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (‘made splendid by dolphins/śiśumāras’); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषण

Speaker

Sūta (narrative description within Tīrthamāhātmya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Padminī (implied lotus-lake/pond)

Type: kund

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A vast, serene, ocean-like holy lake/pond with dense lotus clusters; clear deep waters where fish and turtles glide; śiśumāras surface, creating ripples under a luminous sky.

Characters & Entities

• padminī (lotus pond)
• matsya (fish)
• kacchapa (turtle)
• śiśumāra (aquatic creature)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Tīrthas are portrayed as living sacred ecosystems—beauty, abundance, and purity reflecting divine presence in geography.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

A lotus-adorned sacred pond (padminī) is being praised in this adhyāya; the local proper name is not present in the provided verse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No specific ritual is stated here; it is descriptive praise typical of tīrtha-māhātmya.