Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 9

Devanagari script

एवमुक्त्वा स विप्रर्षिरवतीर्य धरातले । गतः प्लक्षतरुं यस्मा दवतीर्णा सरस्वती

Transliteration

evamuktvā sa viprarṣiravatīrya dharātale | gataḥ plakṣataruṃ yasmā davatīrṇā sarasvatī

Translation

ഇങ്ങനെ പറഞ്ഞ് ആ ബ്രാഹ്മണ-ഋഷി ഭൂമിയിലേക്കിറങ്ങി, സരസ്വതി അവതരിച്ച പ്ലക്ഷവൃക്ഷത്തിങ്കലേക്ക് പോയി।

Word by Word

• एवम्: thus
• एवम्: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एवम् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb)

• उक्त्वा: having said
• उक्त्वा: Purvakala-kriya (Absolutive/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/ल्यप्), पूर्वकालिक-क्रिया (having said)

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन

• विप्रर्षिः: the brāhmaṇa-sage
• विप्रर्षिः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विप्र-ऋषि (प्रातिपदिक; विप्र + ऋषि)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; समासः—कर्मधारयः (विप्रः चासौ ऋषिः)

• अवतीर्य: having descended
• अवतीर्य: Purvakala-kriya (Absolutive/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अव-तॄ (धातु)
• Form: ल्यप्/क्त्वान्त-प्रत्यय (absolutive), पूर्वकालिक-क्रिया (having descended)

• धरातले: on the surface of the earth
• धरातले: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धरा-तल (प्रातिपदिक; धरा + तल)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन; समासः—षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (धरायाः तलम्)

• गतः: went
• गतः: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम् (धातु)
• Form: क्त (past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्तरि प्रयोगे (having gone)

• प्लक्षतरुम्: to the plakṣa tree
• प्लक्षतरुम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्लक्ष-तरु (प्रातिपदिक; प्लक्ष + तरु)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; समासः—कर्मधारय/तत्पुरुष-प्रायः (प्लक्षः स तरुः)

• यस्मात्: from which
• यस्मात्: Apadana (Ablative/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, पञ्चमी (5th/पञ्चमी), एकवचन; सम्बन्धे (from which)

• अवतীर्णा: descended
• अवतীर्णा: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अव-तॄ (धातु)
• Form: क्त (past passive participle), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘सरस्वती’ इति कर्तृविशेषणम्

• सरस्वती: Sarasvatī (river/goddess)
• सरस्वती: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सरस्वती (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन

Speaker

Sūta

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Plakṣa-tīrtha (contextual designation)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The brahmarṣi descends to earth and walks toward a great plakṣa tree beside a sacred emergence point of Sarasvatī; the air feels charged yet serene.

Characters & Entities

• Sūta
• Vasiṣṭha
• Sarasvatī
• Plakṣa tree

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Healing of sacred geography is undertaken at the very source; returning to origins is a dharmic method of restoration.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

A plakṣa-associated avataraṇa-sthāna (descent point) of Sarasvatī is indicated as a sacred landmark within the tīrtha narrative.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No direct prescription; it narrates Vasiṣṭha’s movement to the sacred spot where the remedial act will occur.