Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 36

Devanagari script

नागा यक्षाश्च गन्धर्वा अस्मिन्क्षेत्रे व्यवस्थिताः । ब्रह्मांडं निर्मितं येन त्रैलोक्यं सचराचरम्

Transliteration

nāgā yakṣāśca gandharvā asminkṣetre vyavasthitāḥ | brahmāṃḍaṃ nirmitaṃ yena trailokyaṃ sacarācaram

Translation

Les Nāga, les Yakṣa et les Gandharva demeurent établis dans ce kṣetra sacré. Ici se tient Celui par qui fut façonné le brahmāṇḍa, les trois mondes, avec tout ce qui se meut et tout ce qui demeure immobile.

Word by Word

• nāgāḥ: Nāgas (serpent-beings)
• nāgāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nāga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• yakṣāḥ: Yakṣas
• yakṣāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yakṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

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

• gandharvāḥ: Gandharvas
• gandharvāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gandharva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• asmin: in this
• asmin: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: idam (प्रातिपदik)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (locative), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• kṣetre: in the sacred place/field
• kṣetre: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kṣetra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन

• vyavasthitāḥ: are stationed, established
• vyavasthitāḥ: Kriya (Predicate participle/क्रिया)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sthā (धातु) + vi-ava (उपसर्ग)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (past participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• brahmāṇḍam: the cosmic egg, universe
• brahmāṇḍam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brahman (प्रातिपदिक) + aṇḍa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (accusative), एकवचन

• nirmitam: created, constructed
• nirmitam: Kriya (Predicate participle/क्रिया)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mā (धातु) + nir- (उपसर्ग)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; (brahmāṇḍam) इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

• yena: by whom
• yena: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (instrumental), एकवचन; सम्बन्धबोधक-यत् (relative pronoun)

• trailokyam: the three worlds
• trailokyam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tri (संख्या) + loka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘त्रयः लोकाः’ इति द्विगु-समास

• sa-cara-acaram: with the moving and the unmoving
• sa-cara-acaram: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sa (अव्यय/उपसर्गार्थ ‘सहित’) + cara (प्रातिपदिक) + acara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; द्वन्द्व-समास (चर + अचर), ‘स’ = सहित (with)

Speaker

Sārasvata (narrator/teacher) speaking to Bhojarāja (inferred from immediate context leading into Adhyāya 8 dialogue)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Vastrāpatha-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Devī (contextually)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A sacred grove and riverbank in Vastrāpatha: nāgas coiled near subterranean springs, yakṣas as guardian figures at the edges, gandharvas hovering with instruments; above, a vast translucent ‘cosmic egg’ motif containing the three worlds, hinting at the creator’s presence permeating the scene.

Characters & Entities

• Nāga
• Yakṣa
• Gandharva
• Trailokya
• Brahmāṇḍa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

A true tīrtha is not merely a location; it is a living sacred field where cosmic order and divine presence are palpably established.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Vastrāpatha-kṣetra in the Prabhāsa region (Vastrāpathakṣetra-māhātmya).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No specific ritual is prescribed here; the verse emphasizes the sanctity and cosmic scope of the kṣetra.