Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 15

Devanagari script

पुन्नागनालिकेरैश्च खदिरैः कल्पपादपैः । अनेकश्वापदाकीर्णं मृगमार्जारसंकुलम्

Transliteration

punnāganālikeraiśca khadiraiḥ kalpapādapaiḥ | anekaśvāpadākīrṇaṃ mṛgamārjārasaṃkulam

Translation

ആ പ്രദേശം പുന്നാഗവും നാളികേരവും, ഖദിരവും കല്പവൃക്ഷസമമായ പാദപങ്ങളും കൊണ്ട് ശോഭിച്ചു; അനേകം ശ്വാപദങ്ങളാൽ നിറഞ്ഞ, മൃഗങ്ങളും മാർജാരങ്ങളും കവിഞ്ഞുകൂടിയ വനഭൂമിയായിരുന്നു.

Word by Word

• punnāga-nālikeraiḥ: by punnāga and coconut trees
• punnāga-nālikeraiḥ: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: punnāga (प्रातिपदिक) + nālikera (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; इतरेतर-द्वन्द्वः

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

• khadiraiḥ: by khadira trees
• khadiraiḥ: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: khadira (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• kalpa-pādapaiḥ: by kalpa-trees (wish-fulfilling trees)
• kalpa-pādapaiḥ: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kalpa (प्रातिपदिक) + pādapa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; ‘कल्पवत् पादपाः’/‘कल्पवृक्षाः’ (wish-fulfilling trees)

• aneka-śvā-pada-ākīrṇam: filled with many wild beasts
• aneka-śvā-pada-ākīrṇam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: aneka (प्रातिपदिक) + śvā-pada (प्रातिपदिक) + ākīrṇa (कृदन्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; भूतकालिक-कृदन्त ‘आकॄ’ (strewn/filled); विशेषण

• mṛga-mārjāra-saṃkulam: crowded with deer and wildcats
• mṛga-mārjāra-saṃkulam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mṛga (प्रातिपदिक) + mārjāra (प्रातिपदिक) + saṃkula (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘मृगैः मार्जारैश्च संकुलम्’ (crowded with deer and cats/wildcats)

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) [deduced]

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Ādityeśvara forest-tīrtha environs

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A sacred forest with punnāga blossoms and coconut palms, khadira trees, and ‘wish-fulfilling’ trees; among them roam deer and wild beasts, creating a vivid, awe-inspiring wilderness around the holy spot.

Characters & Entities

• Ādityeśvara-tīrtha

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

A tīrtha can be both beautiful and formidable—approached with reverence, discipline, and steadiness amid the wild.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The forested precincts of Ādityeśvara-tīrtha in the Revā Khaṇḍa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit prescription; the verse builds the atmosphere for later religious action (darśana, snāna, worship).