Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 15

Devanagari script

आयामव्यासतश्चैव आदिमध्यान्तसंस्थितम् । पूर्वे तप्तोदक स्वामी पश्चिमे माधवः स्मृतः

Transliteration

āyāmavyāsataścaiva ādimadhyāntasaṃsthitam | pūrve taptodaka svāmī paścime mādhavaḥ smṛtaḥ

Translation

നീളം-വീതി സഹിതം, ആദി-മധ്യ-അന്തം യഥാവിധി സ്ഥാപിതം. കിഴക്കേ തപ്തോദക-സ്വാമി; പടിഞ്ഞാറേ മാധവൻ സ്മൃത (അതിര്‍ചിഹ്നം) ആകുന്നു.

Word by Word

• आयामव्यासतः: by length and breadth
• आयामव्यासतः: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: आयाम + व्यास (प्रातिपदिके)
• Form: द्वन्द्व-समास (आयामश्च व्यासश्च) + तसिल्-प्रत्यय (तः); अव्यय (adverb): 'in terms of length and breadth'

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय

• एव: indeed; just
• एव: Sambandha (Discourse particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधारण (emphatic particle)

• आदि-मध्य-अन्त-संस्थितम्: situated at the beginning, middle, and end
• आदि-मध्य-अन्त-संस्थितम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: आदि + मध्य + अन्त + संस्थित (प्रातिपदिक/कृदन्ताधारित)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; (आदि-मध्य-अन्त) इति द्वन्द्व + 'संस्थित' (सम्+स्था + क्त) अर्थे: 'situated at beginning, middle, and end'

• पूर्वे: in the east
• पूर्वे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पूर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7), एकवचन; locative singular: 'in the east'

• तप्तोदकः: Taptodaka (Hot-water [tīrtha])
• तप्तोदकः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तप्त + उदक (प्रातिपदिके)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; कर्मधारय: 'तप्तम् उदकम्' (hot-water [tīrtha]) used as a proper name

• स्वामी: Svāmī (lord; name/title)
• स्वामी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्वामिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; nominative singular

• पश्चिमे: in the west
• पश्चिमे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पश्चिम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7), एकवचन; locative singular: 'in the west'

• माधवः: Mādhava (name of Viṣṇu)
• माधवः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: माधव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; nominative singular

• स्मृतः: is known/considered
• स्मृतः: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्मृ (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्यय (भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; past passive participle: 'is considered/known'

Speaker

Skanda (deduced from Prabhāsakṣetramāhātmya narrative style)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra (dik-maryādā: Taptodaka Svāmī—Mādhava)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Devī

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A schematic sacred map: the kṣetra shown as a rectangle/mandala with labeled eastern shrine ‘Taptodaka Svāmī’ and western shrine ‘Mādhava’, with a central axis indicating ‘ādi-madhya-anta’.

Characters & Entities

• Taptodaka Svāmī
• Mādhava
• Prabhāsa-kṣetra

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred places are not abstract; their holiness is mapped through named tīrthas and deities, guiding pilgrims to approach the kṣetra with reverence and clarity.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa-kṣetra, with boundary points marked by Taptodaka Svāmī (east) and Mādhava (west).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No specific rite is prescribed here; the verse establishes pilgrimage-boundaries for proper kṣetra-parikramā and tīrtha-orientation.