Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 6

Devanagari script

अर्धक्रोशे च तत्तीर्थं समंतात्परिमंडलम् । एतन्मध्यं महासारं सदैव मुनिवल्लभम्

Transliteration

ardhakrośe ca tattīrthaṃ samaṃtātparimaṃḍalam | etanmadhyaṃ mahāsāraṃ sadaiva munivallabham

Translation

ആ തീർത്ഥം ചുറ്റുമെല്ലാം അർദ്ധക്രോശപരിമാണമുള്ള വൃത്താകാര വ്യാപ്തിയിൽ വ്യാപിച്ചിരിക്കുന്നു. അതിന്റെ മദ്ധ്യഭാഗം പരമസാരമായതും സദാ മുനിമാർക്ക് പ്രിയമായതുമാണ്।

Word by Word

• अर्धक्रोशे: within a half-krośa
• अर्धक्रोशे: Adhikaraṇa (Location/Extent)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अर्ध + क्रोश (प्रातिपदिके)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन — द्विगु (‘half-krośa’), locative ‘within a half-krośa (radius)’

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Conjunction)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय — समुच्चय

• तत्: that
• तत्: Visheshana (Determiner)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन — ‘that’ (demonstrative)

• तीर्थम्: the sacred place (tīrtha)
• तीर्थम्: Karta/Pratijna (Topic)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन — ‘sacred ford/pilgrimage spot’

• समन्तात्: on all sides
• समन्तात्: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: समन्तात् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय — परितः/सर्वतः (adverb: on all sides)

• परिमण्डलम्: circular/encircled
• परिमण्डलम्: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: परि + मण्डल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन — ‘circular/encircled’, qualifying तीर्थम्

• एतत्: this
• एतत्: Visheshana (Determiner)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन — ‘this’

• मध्यम्: the center
• मध्यम्: Karta/Pratijna (Topic)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मध्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन — ‘middle/center’

• महासारम्: of great essence
• महासारम्: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महा + सार (प्रातिपदिके)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन — ‘of great essence’, qualifying (एतत्) मध्यम्

• सदैव: always
• सदैव: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सदा + एव (अव्यय-समास)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव — कालवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (always)

• मुनिवल्लभम्: beloved of sages
• मुनिवल्लभम्: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मुनि + वल्लभ (प्रातिपदिके)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन — ‘beloved of sages’, qualifying मध्यम्

Speaker

Śiva (Īśvara) [deduced from section context]

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Mahodaya-tīrtha maṇḍala

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Mahādevī (Pārvatī)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A bird’s-eye sacred diagram: a circular tīrtha-maṇḍala spanning half a krośa, with a luminous central bindu where sages sit in meditation; outer ring shows pilgrims circumambulating.

Characters & Entities

• Tīrtha
• Krośa
• Munis (Sages)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

A tīrtha is not only a point but a sacred landscape; its ‘center’ is depicted as especially potent for spiritual practice.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse continues the praise of the Mahodaya-associated tīrtha within Prabhāsakṣetra.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No specific rite is commanded here; it defines the tīrtha’s sacred extent and highlights the spiritual power of its central area.