Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 62

Devanagari script

वज्रिण्याः पूर्वतश्चैव यावन्न्यंकुमती नदी । चतुष्टयं च विस्तारादायामात्पंचयोजनम्

Transliteration

vajriṇyāḥ pūrvataścaiva yāvannyaṃkumatī nadī | catuṣṭayaṃ ca vistārādāyāmātpaṃcayojanam

Translation

«Depuis le côté oriental de Vajriṇī jusqu’à la rivière nommée Nyaṅkumatī : sa largeur est de quatre (unités) et sa longueur de cinq yojanas.»

Word by Word

• वज्रिण्याः: of/from Vajriṇī (name of a river/region)
• वज्रिण्याः: Sambandha/Apadana (Relation or source/सम्बन्ध/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वज्रिणी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी/पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (Genitive/6th or Ablative/5th), एकवचन (Singular)

• पूर्वतः: to the east/eastwards
• पूर्वतः: Desha-adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पूर्वतः (अव्यय)
• Form: देश-अव्यय (directional adverb)

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Coordination/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (conjunction)

• एव: indeed
• एव: Avadharana (Emphasis/अवधारण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारण-अव्यय (emphatic particle)

• यावत्: as far as, up to
• यावत्: Parimana (Extent/परिमाण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यावत् (अव्यय)
• Form: परिमाण-अव्यय (correlative adverb: as far as)

• न्यङ्कुमती: Nyankumatī (river)
• न्यङ्कुमती: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: न्यङ्कुमती (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• नदी: river
• नदी: Apposition (Same-case identifier/समानाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नदी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• चतुष्टयम्: a set of four (fourfold measure)
• चतुष्टयम्: Karma/Measure (Object/measure/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चतुष्टय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (Nom./Acc.), एकवचन

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Coordination/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (conjunction)

• विस्तारात्: in breadth/with respect to breadth (from the standpoint of width)
• विस्तारात्: Apadana (Source/starting point/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विस्तार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (Ablative/5th), एकवचन (Singular)

• आयामात्: in length/with respect to length
• आयामात्: Apadana (Source/starting point/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आयाम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (Ablative/5th), एकवचन (Singular)

• पञ्चयोजनम्: five-yojana (extent)
• पञ्चयोजनम्: Visheshana/Measure (Qualifier/measure)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पञ्च (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक) + योजन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (Nom./Acc.), एकवचन; समासः द्विगु (numerical compound)

Speaker

Śiva

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Vajriṇī–Nyaṅkumatī segment (Prabhāsa)

Type: sangam

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Devī/Pārvatī

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A schematic sacred map: two named points (Vajriṇī and Nyaṅkumatī) connected by a riverine band, annotated with breadth and length; pilgrims shown as small figures moving along the water’s edge.

Characters & Entities

• Śiva
• Pārvatī
• Vajriṇī
• Nyaṅkumatī (river)
• Prabhāsa-kṣetra

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The holiness of a kṣetra is also expressed through defined sacred boundaries, inviting pilgrims to approach the land with clarity and reverence.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse situates features within Prabhāsa-kṣetra by referencing Vajriṇī and the Nyaṅkumatī river as boundary markers.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No specific ritual is stated; the focus is on delineating sacred geography and extent.