Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 7

Devanagari script

पालाशः सर्वदेवानामाधारो धर्मसाधनम् । यत्र लोभस्तु तस्य स्यात्तत्र पूज्यो महातरुः

Transliteration

pālāśaḥ sarvadevānāmādhāro dharmasādhanam | yatra lobhastu tasya syāttatra pūjyo mahātaruḥ

Translation

പലാശം സർവ്വദേവന്മാരുടെയും ആധാരവും ധർമ്മസാധനത്തിനുള്ള ഉപാധിയുമാണ്. അതിനെക്കുറിച്ച് എവിടെ ലോഭം ഉയരുന്നുവോ അവിടെയേ ആ മഹാവൃക്ഷത്തെ (ലോഭം വിട്ട്) പൂജിക്കണം।

Word by Word

• पालाशः: the palāśa (tree)
• पालाशः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पालाश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st), एकवचन

• सर्वदेवानाम्: of all the gods
• सर्वदेवानाम्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक) + देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय (सर्वे देवाः); पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (6th), बहुवचन; सम्बन्ध

• आधारः: support/base
• आधारः: Sambandha (Predicate/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आधार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st), एकवचन; विधेय-नाम (predicate nominative)

• धर्मसाधनम्: means of dharma
• धर्मसाधनम्: Sambandha (Predicate/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धर्म (प्रातिपदिक) + साधन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (धर्मस्य साधनम्); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विधेय-नाम

• यत्र: where
• यत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (relative adverb: where)

• लोभः: greed
• लोभः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लोभ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st), एकवचन

• तु: but/indeed
• तु: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: विरोध/अवधारण-अव्यय (particle)

• तस्य: of it/of that
• तस्य: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (6th), एकवचन; सम्बन्ध

• स्यात्: may be/should be
• स्यात्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ्-लकार (optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (correlative adverb: there)

• पूज्यः: worthy to be worshipped
• पूज्यः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पूज् (धातु) → पूज्य (कृदन्त, यत्-प्रत्यय)
• Form: यत्-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (gerundive: 'to be worshipped'), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विधेय-विशेषण

• महातरुः: the great tree
• महातरुः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महा (प्रातिपदिक) + तरु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय (महान् तरुः); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st), एकवचन

Speaker

Vāṇī

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Palāśa (Brahma-vṛkṣa)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A great palāśa tree revered by devotees; a person tempted to cut branches is shown turning to worship instead, with gods subtly indicated as residing within the tree.

Characters & Entities

• Palāśa
• Sarvadeva
• Dharma
• Lobha

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Transform possessiveness into devotion: when greed arises, redirect the mind to worship and dharma rather than exploitation.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No single tīrtha is named; the verse teaches tīrtha-dharma through reverence for the palāśa as a sacred support of the devas.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Pūjā of the palāśa (mahātaru), especially as an antidote to lobha (greed).