Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 7

Devanagari script

समुदाये च देवानां सर्वतीर्थानि पार्थिव । क्षेत्राण्युप स्थितान्येव वनान्युपवनानि च

Transliteration

samudāye ca devānāṃ sarvatīrthāni pārthiva | kṣetrāṇyupa sthitānyeva vanānyupavanāni ca

Translation

«Ô roi, lorsque les dieux s’assemblèrent, tous les tīrtha furent aussi présents en ce lieu—ainsi que les kṣetra sacrés, les forêts et les bosquets saints.»

Word by Word

• समुदाये: in the assembly/gathering
• समुदाये: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: समुदाय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative), एकवचन

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

• देवानाम्: of the gods
• देवानाम्: Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive), बहुवचन

• सर्वतीर्थानि: all the sacred places
• सर्वतीर्थानि: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्व + तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Nom./Acc.), बहुवचन

• पार्थिव: O king
• पार्थिव: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पृथिवी (प्रातिपदिक) → पार्थिव (तद्धित-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative), एकवचन

• क्षेत्राणि: holy fields/regions
• क्षेत्राणि: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्षेत्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Nom./Acc.), बहुवचन

• उपस्थितानि: present/assembled
• उपस्थितानि: Karta (as qualifier/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: उप + स्था (धातु) → उपस्थित (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Nom./Acc.), बहुवचन; भूतकृदन्त; क्षेत्राणि इति विशेष्य

• एव: indeed
• एव: Sambandha (Emphasis particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधारण (emphasis/only)

• वनानि: forests
• वनानि: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Nom./Acc.), बहुवचन

• उपवनानि: groves
• उपवनानि: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: उप + वन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Nom./Acc.), बहुवचन

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

Speaker

Narrator (contextual; likely Brahmā continuing the account to Indra, with the king addressed in framing narration)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Sarva-tīrtha-sannipāta (conceptual)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Pārthiva / nṛpa (king addressed)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The gods assemble; behind them, a visionary panorama appears: rivers as personified goddesses, famous ghāṭas, peaks, caves, and temples all ‘standing present’ as symbolic forms; forests and sacred groves encircle the assembly like a living mandala.

Characters & Entities

• Devas
• Tīrthas
• Kṣetras

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Holiness is not merely local—divine presence can gather all tīrthas and kṣetras together, emphasizing reverence for sacred geography as a living reality.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse speaks collectively of ‘all tīrthas’ rather than naming one; within Arbuda Khaṇḍa, the broader sanctity of the Arbuda region is being framed through this universal gathering.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit rite is prescribed here; it establishes a māhātmya setting by declaring the presence of tīrthas, kṣetras, forests, and groves.