Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 13

Devanagari script

सर्वत्र तरुपुष्पाढ्यं शाखामृगगणाकुलम् । पुष्प पद्मवनोपेतं सपल्वलमहावनम्

Transliteration

sarvatra tarupuṣpāḍhyaṃ śākhāmṛgagaṇākulam | puṣpa padmavanopetaṃ sapalvalamahāvanam

Translation

ആ മഹാവനം എല്ലായിടത്തും വൃക്ഷപുഷ്പസമൃദ്ധമായും ശാഖകളിൽ സഞ്ചരിക്കുന്ന മൃഗഗണങ്ങളാൽ നിറഞ്ഞതുമായിരിന്നു; പുഷ്പിത കാടുകൂട്ടങ്ങളും പദ്മവനങ്ങളും അലങ്കരിച്ച്, കുളങ്ങളും ചതുപ്പുകുളങ്ങളും നിറഞ്ഞിരുന്നു।

Word by Word

• sarvatra: everywhere
• sarvatra: Desha-adhikarana (Locative sense)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sarvatra (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (everywhere)

• taru-puṣpa-āḍhyam: rich with tree-flowers
• taru-puṣpa-āḍhyam: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: taru (प्रातिपदिक) + puṣpa (प्रातिपदिक) + āḍhya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (तरूणां पुष्पैः आढ्यम्)

• śākhā-mṛga-gaṇa-ākulam: crowded with troops of branch-dwelling animals (monkeys etc.)
• śākhā-mṛga-gaṇa-ākulam: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śākhā (प्रातिपदिक) + mṛga (प्रातिपदिक) + gaṇa (प्रातिपदिक) + ākula (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (शाखामृगाणां गणैः आकुलम्)

• puṣpa: flowered / with flowers
• puṣpa: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Noun
• Root: puṣpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; (पाठे विशेषणरूपेण ‘पुष्प-’ इति पूर्वपदवत्)

• padma-vana-upetam: endowed with lotus-groves
• padma-vana-upetam: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: padma (प्रातिपदिक) + vana (प्रातिपदिक) + upeta (कृदन्त, √i उप-√i ‘to go/attain’)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (पद्मवनैः उपेतम् = endowed with lotus-groves)

• sa-palvalam: with ponds/pools
• sa-palvalam: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sa (सह/सहित, उपसर्गवत्) + palvala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (पल्वलैः सहितम्)

• mahā-vanam: a great forest
• mahā-vanam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahā (प्रातिपदिक) + vana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; समासः—कर्मधारयः (महच्च तत् वनम्)

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A vast sacred forest at Prabhāsa: flowering trees everywhere, branch-roaming animals, lotus-groves, and many ponds and marshy pools shimmering amid thickets.

Characters & Entities

• Forest (mahā-vana)
• Lotus groves (padma-vana)
• Ponds/palvala

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred geography is celebrated through abundance and beauty—nature’s harmony becomes a sign of auspiciousness and merit-bearing terrain.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

A sanctified forest landscape associated with Raivata Udyāna in the Prabhāsa Khaṇḍa narrative.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it is a māhātmya-style descriptive praise of the landscape.