Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 1

Devanagari script

पुलस्त्य उवाच । अवियुक्तवनं गच्छेत्ततः पार्थिवसत्तम । यस्मिन्दृष्टे नरोभीष्टैर्न वियुज्येत कर्हिचित्

Transliteration

pulastya uvāca | aviyuktavanaṃ gacchettataḥ pārthivasattama | yasmindṛṣṭe narobhīṣṭairna viyujyeta karhicit

Translation

പുലസ്ത്യൻ പറഞ്ഞു—അതിനുശേഷം, ഹേ രാജശ്രേഷ്ഠാ, അവിയുക്തവനത്തിലേക്ക് പോകണം; അതിനെ ദർശിച്ചാൽ മനുഷ്യൻ തന്റെ അഭീഷ്ടങ്ങളിൽ നിന്ന് ഒരിക്കലും വേർപെടുകയില്ല.

Word by Word

• pulastyaḥ: Pulastya
• pulastyaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pulastya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकारः, प्रथमपुरुषः, एकवचनम्; परस्मैपदम्

• aviyuktavanam: Aviyukta forest
• aviyuktavanam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: a-viyukta-vana (प्रातिपदिक; अ + वियुक्त + वन)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, द्वितीया-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; कर्म—गन्तव्य-स्थानम्; “the forest called Aviyukta (non-separating)”

• gacchet: should go
• gacchet: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: gam (धातु)
• Form: लोट्-लकारः (Imperative), प्रथमपुरुषः, एकवचनम्; परस्मैपदम्

• tataḥ: then/from there
• tataḥ: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatas (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रियाविशेषणम्—“thereafter/from there”

• pārthivasattama: O best of kings
• pārthivasattama: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pārthiva-sattama (प्रातिपदिक; पार्थिव + सत्तम)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, सम्बोधन-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; संबोधनम्

• yasmin: in which
• yasmin: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, सप्तमी-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; अधिकरणम्—“in which/when”

• dṛṣṭe: when (it is) seen
• dṛṣṭe: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dṛś (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त; पुंलिङ्गे, सप्तमी-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; yasmin इत्यस्य विशेषणम्—“when seen”

• naraḥ: a man
• naraḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; कर्ता

• abhīṣṭaiḥ: with desired objects
• abhīṣṭaiḥ: Sahakari (Accompaniment/सह)
• Type: Noun
• Root: abhīṣṭa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे (इष्टार्थे), तृतीया-विभक्तिः, बहुवचनम्; सहार्थे/हेतौ—“with desired (things)”

• na: not
• na: Pratishedha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निषेध-निपात (negation particle)

• viyujyeta: would be separated
• viyujyeta: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vi-yuj (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुषः (3rd), एकवचनम्; आत्मनेपदम्; निषेधेन सह—“would not be separated”

• karhicit: ever
• karhicit: Kriya-visheshana (Temporal/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: karhicit (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक-अव्यय (adverb) — “ever/at any time”

Speaker

Pulastya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Aviyukta Vana

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: A king (pārthiva-sattama)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A royal pilgrim party enters a dense sacred forest marked by ancient trees and a small Śiva shrine; the atmosphere suggests the forest ‘never lets go’ of the pilgrim’s rightful aims.

Characters & Entities

• Pulastya
• Aviyukta-vana

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Darśana of a sanctified place is itself transformative; sacred geography supports human well-being and dharmic fulfillment.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Aviyukta-vana (Aviyukta Forest), praised for the fruit of mere darśana (seeing/visiting).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A pilgrimage instruction: one should go to and behold Aviyukta Forest.