Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 16

Devanagari script

दक्षिणे सागरस्तद्वद्भद्रा नद्युत्तरे मता । एवं सीमासमायुक्तं क्षेत्रं द्वादशयोजनम्

Transliteration

dakṣiṇe sāgarastadvadbhadrā nadyuttare matā | evaṃ sīmāsamāyuktaṃ kṣetraṃ dvādaśayojanam

Translation

Au sud se trouve l’océan, et au nord le fleuve Bhadrā est tenu pour limite. Ainsi, muni de ces frontières, le kṣetra s’étend sur douze yojanas.

Word by Word

• दक्षिणे: in the south
• दक्षिणे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दक्षिण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7), एकवचन; locative singular: 'in the south'

• सागरः: the ocean
• सागरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सागर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; nominative singular

• तद्वत्: likewise
• तद्वत्: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तद्वत् (अव्यय/तद्धितान्त)
• Form: अव्यय; उपमानार्थक (comparative particle): 'likewise/in the same way'

• भद्रा: Bhadrā (river)
• भद्रा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भद्रा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; nominative singular (river-name)

• नदी: river
• नदी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नदी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; nominative singular; apposition to 'भद्रा'

• उत्तरे: in the north
• उत्तरे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: उत्तर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7), एकवचन; locative singular: 'in the north'

• मता: is considered/held to be
• मता: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: मन् (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्यय (भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; 'is considered' (agreeing with भद्रा नदी)

• एवम्: thus
• एवम्: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एवम् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रकारवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (manner adverb)

• सीमासमायुक्तम्: endowed with boundaries
• सीमासमायुक्तम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सीमा + सम् + युज् (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष: 'सीमाभिः समायुक्तम्' (endowed with boundaries); क्त-प्रत्यय PPP

• क्षेत्रम्: the kṣetra
• क्षेत्रम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्षेत्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन

• द्वादशयोजनम्: twelve-yojana (in extent)
• द्वादशयोजनम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: द्वादश + योजन (प्रातिपदिके)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; द्विगु-समास: 'twelve-yojana (in extent)'

Speaker

Skanda (deduced from Prabhāsakṣetramāhātmya narrative style)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra (sāgara–Bhadrā boundary)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Devī

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A wide sacred map: the kṣetra shown as a band of land with the ocean to the south (waves, horizon) and a river to the north (flowing line), with a caption ‘dvādaśa-yojana’ indicating the total extent.

Characters & Entities

• Sāgara (Ocean)
• Bhadrā Nadī
• Prabhāsa-kṣetra

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pilgrimage in Purāṇic dharma is anchored in sacred geography; knowing the kṣetra’s limits supports disciplined, intentional worship.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa-kṣetra, measured and bounded by the ocean to the south and the Bhadrā river to the north.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No direct prescription; the verse provides the kṣetra’s extent (dvādaśa-yojana) for pilgrimage planning and kṣetra-understanding.