Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 41

Devanagari script

वटस्थानमष्टमं च निबोध सुतसत्तम

Transliteration

vaṭasthānamaṣṭamaṃ ca nibodha sutasattama

Translation

ഹേ ഉത്തമപുത്രാ! അറിഞ്ഞുകൊൾക—വടസ്ഥാനമാണ് എട്ടാമത്തെ (സ്ഥാനം).

Word by Word

• vaṭasthānam: the banyan-place / place of the vaṭa tree
• vaṭasthānam: Karma/Predicate-Nominal (कर्म/विधेय)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vaṭa-sthāna (प्रातिपदिक; वट + स्थान)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/प्रथमा or 2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (vaṭasya sthānam)

• aṣṭamam: eighth
• aṣṭamam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: aṣṭama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/प्रथमा or 2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; क्रमवाचक विशेषण

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

• nibodha: know/understand
• nibodha: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ni-√budh (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (imperative/आज्ञार्थ), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद; उपसर्ग: नि-

• sutasattama: O best of sons
• sutasattama: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: suta-sattama (प्रातिपदिक; सुत + सत्तम)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th/सम्बोधन), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (sutasya sattamaḥ)

Speaker

Brahmā

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Vaṭasthāna (Śrīkṣetra locality)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: suta-sattama (addressed disciple/listener)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A venerable banyan dominates the scene; beneath it, the teacher addresses the disciple: ‘Know this—Vaṭasthāna is the eighth.’ The banyan’s aerial roots frame the sacred station.

Characters & Entities

• Vaṭasthāna
• Nārada

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The tradition emphasizes attentive learning and accurate remembrance of sacred place-lists as part of dharmic transmission.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Vaṭasthāna is named as the eighth sacred settlement in the Dharmāraṇya sequence.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit rite is stated; the verse functions as an authoritative identification within the sacred listing.