Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 9

Devanagari script

भूतवेतालशाकिनीग्रहदेवाधिदेवतैः । ऋतुभिर्मासपक्षैश्च सेव्यमानं सुरासुरेः

Transliteration

bhūtavetālaśākinīgrahadevādhidevataiḥ | ṛtubhirmāsapakṣaiśca sevyamānaṃ surāsureḥ

Translation

ആ സ്ഥലം ഭൂതങ്ങൾ, വേതാളങ്ങൾ, ശാകിനികൾ, ഗ്രഹങ്ങൾ, ദേവന്മാർ, അധിദേവതകൾ എന്നിവരാൽ സേവിക്കപ്പെടുന്നു; ഋതുക്കൾ, മാസങ്ങൾ, പക്ഷങ്ങൾ പോലും—ദേവാസുരർ ഇരുവരും അവിടെ എത്തുന്നു।

Word by Word

• भूतवेतालशाकिनीग्रहदेवाधिदेवतैः: by spirits, vetālas, śākinīs, grahas, gods and presiding deities
• भूतवेतालशाकिनीग्रहदेवाधिदेवतैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भूत (प्रातिपदिक) + वेताल (प्रातिपदिक) + शाकिनी (प्रातिपदिक) + ग्रह (प्रातिपदिक) + देव (प्रातिपदिक) + अधिदेवता (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (अधिदेवता-प्रधान), तृतीया (करण), बहुवचन; बहुपद-द्वन्द्वसमासः (भूत-वेताल-शाकिनी-ग्रह-देव-अधिदेवता)

• ऋतुभिः: by seasons
• ऋतुभिः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ऋतु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (करण), बहुवचन

• मासपक्षैः: by months and fortnights
• मासपक्षैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मास (प्रातिपदिक) + पक्ष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (करण), बहुवचन; द्वन्द्वसमासः (मास-पक्ष)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-निपात (conjunction)

• सेव्यमानम्: being frequented/served
• सेव्यमानम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सेव् (धातु) → सेव्यमान (कृदन्त)
• Form: वर्तमानकाले कर्मणि कृदन्त (शानच्), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; 'being frequented/served'

• सुरासुरेः: of gods and demons
• सुरासुरेः: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सुर (प्रातिपदिक) + असुर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (सम्बन्ध), एकवचन; द्वन्द्वसमासः (सुर-असुर)

Speaker

Vyāsa

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Dharmāraṇya

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: A king (‘nṛpaśārdūla’)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A sacred forest filled with unseen presences: bhūtas, vetālas, śākinīs, grahas, devas and adhidevatās; above them, the wheel of time—seasons and lunar fortnights—symbolically attending the place.

Characters & Entities

• Bhūtas
• Vetālas
• Śākinīs
• Grahās
• Devas
• Adhidevatās
• Ṛtus (seasons)
• Māsas (months)
• Pakṣas (fortnights)
• Asuras
• Dharmāraṇya

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

A supreme sacred place is depicted as cosmically central—drawing beings of all orders and even sanctifying the rhythms of time.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Dharmāraṇya, portrayed as a universally frequented sacred locus.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None directly; the verse emphasizes the site’s universal ‘sevyatā’ (worthiness of resort).