Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 16

Devanagari script

ऋक्षहस्तिसमाकीर्णं चित्रकैश्चोपशोभितम् । प्रविष्टा ऋषयः सर्वे वने पुष्पसमाकुले

Transliteration

ṛkṣahastisamākīrṇaṃ citrakaiścopaśobhitam | praviṣṭā ṛṣayaḥ sarve vane puṣpasamākule

Translation

കരടികളും ആനകളും നിറഞ്ഞതും, ചിത്രക ലതകളാൽ ശോഭിതവും, പുഷ്പസമൃദ്ധവുമായ ആ വനത്തിലേക്ക് എല്ലാ ഋഷിമാരും പ്രവേശിച്ചു।

Word by Word

• ऋक्षहस्तिसमाकीर्णम्: filled/crowded with bears and elephants
• ऋक्षहस्तिसमाकीर्णम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ऋक्ष (प्रातिपदिक) + हस्ति (प्रातिपदिक) + समाकीर्ण (कृदन्त; √कॄ/कीर् (धातु) उपसर्ग सम्+आ)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया विभक्ति, एकवचन; भूतकृदन्त (क्त) ‘समाकीर्ण’ = ‘सम्+आ+√कॄ/कीर्’ (to scatter/fill)

• चित्रकैः: with variegated (trees/objects) ‘citrakas’
• चित्रकैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चित्रक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया विभक्ति, बहुवचन

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

• उपशोभितम्: adorned/beautified
• उपशोभितम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: उपशोभित (कृदन्त; उप+√शुभ् (धातु))
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया विभक्ति, एकवचन; भूतकृदन्त (क्त)

• प्रविष्टाः: (they) entered / having entered
• प्रविष्टाः: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्रविष्ट (कृदन्त; प्र+√विश् (धातु))
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति, बहुवचन; भूतकृदन्त (क्त) — क्रियाविशेषणवत्/विधेय (having entered)

• ऋषयः: sages
• ऋषयः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ऋषि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• सर्वे: all
• सर्वे: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• वने: in the forest
• वने: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी विभक्ति, एकवचन

• पुष्पसमाकुले: abounding in flowers
• पुष्पसमाकुले: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पुष्प (प्रातिपदिक) + समाकुल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘पुष्पैः समाकुल’ (full of flowers)

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) [deduced]

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā (Narmadā) tīrtha-region (contextual)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Kuruśreṣṭha (a Bharata/Kuru prince addressed in the passage)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A blossom-laden forest corridor alive with bears and elephants; a procession of calm, ascetic sages enters, framed by citraka plants and drifting petals.

Characters & Entities

• Ṛṣayaḥ (sages)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

True seekers proceed into sacred spaces with courage and purity, seeing the forest as a threshold to divine encounter.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The flower-filled forest approach to Ādityeśvara-tīrtha in the Revā Khaṇḍa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None in this verse; it narrates the sages’ entry as part of the tīrtha-māhātmya context.