Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 9

Devanagari script

पुरुषोत्तमं महाक्षेत्रमरण्यान्यादयः शुभाः । त्रैलोक्ये वर्त्तमानानि सर्वतीर्थानि सर्वशः

Transliteration

puruṣottamaṃ mahākṣetramaraṇyānyādayaḥ śubhāḥ | trailokye varttamānāni sarvatīrthāni sarvaśaḥ

Translation

Le suprême domaine sacré de Puruṣottama, ainsi que les forêts de bon augure et autres lieux saints : ici, tous les tīrtha existant dans les trois mondes sont présents en plénitude, de toute manière.

Word by Word

• पुरुषोत्तमम्: Puruṣottama (holy place/name)
• पुरुषोत्तमम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुरुष + उत्तम (प्रातिपदिक-द्वय)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्मधारय (उत्तमः पुरुषः)

• महाक्षेत्रम्: great sacred region
• महाक्षेत्रम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महाक्षेत्र (प्रातिपदिक; महत् + क्षेत्र)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• अरण्यानि-आदयः: forests and others
• अरण्यानि-आदयः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अरण्य (प्रातिपदिक) + आदि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; ‘आदयः’ = आदि-शब्दस्य प्रथमा-बहुवचन (and others)

• शुभाः: auspicious
• शुभाः: Visheshana (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शुभ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; विशेषण

• त्रैलोक्ये: in the three worlds
• त्रैलोक्ये: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्रैलोक्य (प्रातिपदिक; त्रि + लोक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative), एकवचन

• वर्त्तमानानि: existing, present
• वर्त्तमानानि: Visheshana (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वृत् (धातु) → वर्तमान (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: वर्तमान-कृदन्त (present participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; विशेषण

• सर्वतीर्थानि: all pilgrimage places
• सर्वतीर्थानि: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्व + तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक-द्वय)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; कर्मधारय (सर्वाणि तीर्थानि)

• सर्वशः: in every way, altogether
• सर्वशः: Sambandha (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सर्वशः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रियाविशेषण (adverb: in every way/entirely)

Speaker

Narrator (contextual; prior speaker not explicit in this verse)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Puruṣottama-mahākṣetra (sarva-tīrtha-maya)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A vast sacred forest and kṣetra landscape labeled ‘Puruṣottama Mahākṣetra’, within which miniature icons of countless tīrthas (rivers, ghats, liṅgas, viṣṇu-mūrtis) appear as if nested worlds—‘three-loka tīrthas’ folded into one terrain.

Characters & Entities

• Puruṣottama
• Tīrtha
• Trailokya

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dvārakā is praised as a supremely concentrated sacred landscape where the merit of many pilgrimages is gathered in one place.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Dvārakā as the Puruṣottama-mahākṣetra, portrayed as encompassing all tīrthas of the three worlds.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No specific rite is prescribed here; the verse establishes the mahātmya (greatness) of the kṣetra as a pilgrimage destination.