Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 22

Devanagari script

अवन्ती न च कांची च क्षेत्रं च पुरुषोत्तमम् । सूर्योपरागकालेऽपि कुरुक्षेत्रं न राजते

Transliteration

avantī na ca kāṃcī ca kṣetraṃ ca puruṣottamam | sūryoparāgakāle'pi kurukṣetraṃ na rājate

Translation

Ni Avantī (Ujjayinī), ni Kāñcī, ni même le kṣetra sacré de Puruṣottama (Puri) ne resplendit ainsi ; pas même Kurukṣetra, fût-ce au temps d’une éclipse solaire, ne brille de la sorte.

Word by Word

• अवन्ती: Avanti (sacred place)
• अवन्ती: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अवन्ती (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक-अव्यय (negative particle)

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

• काञ्ची: Kāñcī (Kanchipuram)
• काञ्ची: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काञ्ची (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

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

• क्षेत्रम्: holy field/place (kṣetra)
• क्षेत्रम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्षेत्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

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

• पुरुषोत्तमम्: Puruṣottama (the supreme person / a sacred place named so)
• पुरुषोत्तमम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुरुष + उत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular); कर्मधारय-समास (श्रेष्ठः पुरुषः इति)

• सूर्योपरागकाले: at the time of a solar eclipse
• सूर्योपरागकाले: Adhikarana (Location/Time अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सूर्य + उपराग + काल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन (Singular); षष्ठी/सप्तमी-तत्पुरुषभावः (सूर्यस्य उपरागः = सूर्यग्रहणम्; तस्मिन् काले)

• अपि: even
• अपि: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: सम्भावन/अपि-कारक-अव्यय (even/also)

• कुरुक्षेत्रम्: Kurukṣetra
• कुरुक्षेत्रम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कुरु + क्षेत्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular); षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (कुरूणां क्षेत्रम्)

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक-अव्यय (negative particle)

• राजते: shines / is splendid
• राजते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: राज् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular), आत्मनेपद

Speaker

Nārada (deduced from immediate context within the praise of kṣetras)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Contextually Dvārakā (compared against Avantī, Kāñcī, Puruṣottama, Kurukṣetra)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A dramatic comparison tableau: pilgrims at Kurukṣetra during a solar eclipse—darkened sun, ritual bathing and dāna—yet a brighter, golden radiance emanates from the focal kṣetra (Dvārakā implied), visually ‘outshining’ the eclipse scene; icons of Ujjain, Kanchi, and Puri appear as distant silhouettes.

Characters & Entities

• Avantī (Ujjayinī/Ujjain)
• Kāñcī
• Puruṣottama-kṣetra (Puri)
• Kurukṣetra
• Sūryoparāga (solar eclipse)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purāṇas rank sacred sites to intensify faith in tīrtha-yātrā; divine presence, not mere fame, is the measure of a kṣetra’s radiance.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse references Avantī, Kāñcī, Puruṣottama-kṣetra (Puri), and Kurukṣetra—within a broader argument that Dvārakā’s glory surpasses renowned kṣetras.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Only a timing reference appears: sūryoparāga (solar eclipse), a traditional occasion for intensified bathing, japa, and dāna—though not explicitly prescribed here.