Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 38

Devanagari script

सरस्वती पुनस्तस्मादर्बुदारण्यमाश्रिता । गता वटवनं रम्यं मार्कंडेयाश्रमाच्छुभात्

Transliteration

sarasvatī punastasmādarbudāraṇyamāśritā | gatā vaṭavanaṃ ramyaṃ mārkaṃḍeyāśramācchubhāt

Translation

Puis Sarasvatī, quittant ce lieu, se réfugia dans la forêt d’Arbuda ; et depuis l’āśrama auspicious de Mārkaṇḍeya, elle gagna le charmant Vaṭavana, le bosquet de banians.

Word by Word

• सरस्वती: Sarasvatī
• सरस्वती: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सरस्वती (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — Feminine, Nominative singular

• पुनः: again/then
• पुनः: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुनः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (क्रमवाचक) — adverb ‘again/then’

• तस्मात्: from that (place)
• तस्मात्: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पञ्चमी, एकवचन — Ablative singular (pronoun)

• अर्बुदारण्यम्: the Arbuda forest
• अर्बुदारण्यम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अर्बुद (प्रातिपदिक) + अरण्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: अर्बुदस्य अरण्यम्); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन — Neuter, Accusative singular

• आश्रिता: resorted to/entered
• आश्रिता: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ + श्रि (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त भूतकृदन्त (PPP) used predicatively; स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — Feminine, Nominative singular

• गता: went
• गता: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम् (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त भूतकृदन्त (PPP) used predicatively; स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — Feminine, Nominative singular

• वटवनम्: the banyan-grove
• वटवनम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वट (प्रातिपदिक) + वन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (वटानां वनम्); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन — Neuter, Accusative singular

• रम्यम्: beautiful
• रम्यम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: रम्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन — Neuter, Accusative singular (qualifying वटवनम्)

• मार्कण्डेयाश्रमात्: from Mārkaṇḍeya’s hermitage
• मार्कण्डेयाश्रमात्: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मार्कण्डेय (प्रातिपदिक) + आश्रम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: मार्कण्डेयस्य आश्रमः); पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी, एकवचन — Masculine, Ablative singular

• शुभात्: auspicious
• शुभात्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शुभ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी, एकवचन — Neuter, Ablative singular (qualifying आश्रमात्)

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) (deduced from Prabhāsa-khaṇḍa māhātmya narration style)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Vaṭavana (Banyan-grove station)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Sarasvatī departs the bright hermitage and enters the deep Arbuda forest; she proceeds to a charming banyan grove with massive aerial roots and a clear resting-place.

Characters & Entities

• Sarasvatī
• Arbuda-āraṇya
• Vaṭavana
• Mārkaṇḍeya

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred rivers and landscapes are presented as living carriers of dharma, guiding devotees from one sanctified site to another.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Vaṭavana (the Banyan-grove) in the Prabhāsakṣetra region, connected with Sarasvatī and Mārkaṇḍeya’s āśrama.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit rite is stated here; the verse primarily maps Sarasvatī’s sacred movement among holy locales.