Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 3

Devanagari script

तस्यैकं शृंगमास्थाय रम्यं श्रेष्ठद्रुमान्वितम् । फलपुष्पसमाकीर्णं लतामंडपमंडितम्

Transliteration

tasyaikaṃ śṛṃgamāsthāya ramyaṃ śreṣṭhadrumānvitam | phalapuṣpasamākīrṇaṃ latāmaṃḍapamaṃḍitam

Translation

ആ പർവതത്തിലെ ഒരു മനോഹര ശിഖരം ആശ്രയിച്ച് അവൾ അവിടെ നിലകൊണ്ടു—ശ്രേഷ്ഠ വൃക്ഷങ്ങളാൽ സമന്വിതം, ഫലപുഷ്പങ്ങളാൽ നിറഞ്ഞത്, ലതാമണ്ഡപങ്ങളാൽ അലങ്കൃതം।

Word by Word

• tasya: of him/of that
• tasya: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन (Singular)

• ekam: one
• ekam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: eka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• śṛṅgam: peak, summit
• śṛṅgam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śṛṅga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• āsthāya: having ascended
• āsthāya: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial participle/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ā-√sthā (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (Absolutive/Gerund), परस्मैपदी; ‘having ascended/taken refuge (in)’

• ramyam: beautiful, charming
• ramyam: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ramya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (qualifier)

• śreṣṭha-drumānvitam: endowed with excellent trees
• śreṣṭha-drumānvitam: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śreṣṭha (प्रातिपदिक) + druma (प्रातिपदिक) + anvita (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक, √i/√vī?; ‘endowed’)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; समासः—षष्ठी/तत्पुरुष (śreṣṭhāḥ drumāḥ yena anvitaḥ)

• phala-puṣpa-samākīrṇam: strewn with fruits and flowers
• phala-puṣpa-samākīrṇam: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: phala (प्रातिपदिक) + puṣpa (प्रातिपदिक) + samākīrṇa (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक, सम्-आ-√kṝ/√kīr ‘to scatter’)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; समासः—द्वन्द्व (phalaṃ ca puṣpaṃ ca) + तत्पुरुष (taiḥ samākīrṇam)

• latā-maṇḍapa-maṇḍitam: adorned with vine-bowers
• latā-maṇḍapa-maṇḍitam: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: latā (प्रातिपदिक) + maṇḍapa (प्रातिपदिक) + maṇḍita (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक, √maṇḍ ‘to adorn’)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (latāmaṇḍapena maṇḍitam)

Speaker

Narrator (continuation of Sūta’s narration in this adhyāya context)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: peak

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Dvijāḥ (addressed later in 121.5; audience of brāhmaṇas)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A solitary maiden reaches a verdant mountain peak: ancient trees, fruit and blossoms carpeting the ground, vine-bowers forming natural pavilions; the atmosphere is serene yet charged with impending divine emergence.

Characters & Entities

• Vindhya Mountain

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred places are portrayed as naturally auspicious—beauty and abundance mirror the presence of divine power and tapas.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

A specific peak of the Vindhya mountain is described as an idyllic, sanctified setting.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None stated; the verse provides a māhātmya-style description of the sacred environment.