Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 20

Devanagari script

श्लेष्मातकतरौ ह्येते प्रायशः सुकृतालयाः । उत्तालतालचपला नृत्यंति च हसंति च

Transliteration

śleṣmātakatarau hyete prāyaśaḥ sukṛtālayāḥ | uttālatālacapalā nṛtyaṃti ca hasaṃti ca

Translation

彼女らは多く śleṣmātaka（シュレーシュマータカ）の樹上に見られ、たいてい功徳の蓄えられる所に住む。高鳴る拍子と打音にせき立てられて舞い、また笑う。

Word by Word

• श्लेष्मातकतरौ: the śleṣmātaka trees (two)
• श्लेष्मातकतरौ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्लेष्मातक-तरु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), द्विवचन; समासः—षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (श्लेष्मातकस्य तरुः)

• हि: indeed
• हि: Sambandha/Discourse particle
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle/emphasis)

• एते: these
• एते: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन

• प्रायशः: generally, for the most part
• प्रायशः: Adverbial modifier
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: प्रायशः (अव्यय)
• Form: क्रियाविशेषण (adverb)

• सुकृतालयाः: abodes of merit
• सुकृतालयाः: Visheshana (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सुकृत-आलय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; समासः—षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (सुकृतस्य आलयः)

• उत्तालतालचपलाः: restless, fluttering (like palmyra leaves/fans)
• उत्तालतालचपलाः: Visheshana (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: उत्ताल-ताल-चपल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (उत्तालतालैः चपलाः = restless like/with palmyra-fans)

• नृत्यन्ति: they dance
• नृत्यन्ति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: नृत् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), बहुवचन; परस्मैपद

• च: and
• च: Connector
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक अव्यय (conjunction)

• हसन्ति: they laugh
• हसन्ति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: हस् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), बहुवचन; परस्मैपद

• च: and
• च: Connector
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक अव्यय (conjunction)

Speaker

Śiva (deduced from context)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Interlocutor within Prabhāsa-māhātmya frame

Visual Art Cues

Scene: At dusk in a sacred grove, dark figures perch and sway among śleṣmātaka branches; they dance with sudden jerks and burst into laughter, the grove itself seeming charged with stored merit.

Characters & Entities

• Śleṣmātaka (tree)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The sacred landscape is depicted as alive with subtle beings, indicating that puṇya and place (kṣetra) shape unseen presences.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsakṣetra, where even trees and environs are described as spiritually charged.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; the verse is descriptive of beings and their behavior.