Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 2

Devanagari script

यत्र वृक्षा बहुविधा दीर्घशाखाः फलान्विताः । वटोदुम्बरबिल्वाश्च सर्जार्जुनकदंबकाः

Transliteration

yatra vṛkṣā bahuvidhā dīrghaśākhāḥ phalānvitāḥ | vaṭodumbarabilvāśca sarjārjunakadaṃbakāḥ

Translation

അവിടെ പലവിധ വൃക്ഷങ്ങൾ ഉണ്ട്—ദീർഘശാഖകളോടും ഫലസമൃദ്ധിയോടും കൂടിയവ: വടം, ഉദുംബരം, ബിൽവം; കൂടാതെ സർജ, അർജുന, കടമ്പ വൃക്ഷങ്ങളും.

Word by Word

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

• वृक्षाः: trees
• वृक्षाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वृक्ष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• बहुविधाः: of many kinds
• बहुविधाः: Karta (Subject-qualifier/कर्तृविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: बहु-विध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; समासः: बहवः विधाः (कर्मधारय)

• दीर्घशाखाः: having long branches
• दीर्घशाखाः: Karta (Subject-qualifier/कर्तृविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दीर्घ-शाखा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; समासः: दीर्घाः शाखाः येषाम् (कर्मधारय-भाव)

• फलान्विताः: endowed with fruits
• फलान्विताः: Karta (Subject-qualifier/कर्तृविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: फल-अन्वित (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त ‘अन्वित’; समासः: फलैः अन्विताः (तृतीया-तत्पुरुष)

• वटोदुम्बरबिल्वाः: banyan, udumbara, and bilva (trees)
• वटोदुम्बरबिल्वाः: Karta (Co-subject/सहकर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वट-उदुम्बर-बिल्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; इतरेतर-द्वन्द्वः (vaṭa + udumbara + bilva)

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Coordination/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-बोधक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• सर्जार्जुनकदम्बकाः: sarja, arjuna, and kadambaka (trees)
• सर्जार्जुनकदम्बकाः: Karta (Co-subject/सहकर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्ज-अर्जुन-कदम्बक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; इतरेतर-द्वन्द्वः (sarja + arjuna + kadambaka)

Speaker

Sārasvata (continuing description)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Raivataka-vana (within Vastrāpatha-kṣetra)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A panoramic sacred forest: towering fruit-laden trees with long branches—banyan aerial roots, udumbara clusters, bilva trifoliate leaves—intermixed with sarja, arjuna, and kadamba; dappled light and a pilgrim path.

Characters & Entities

• Raivataka forest
• Bilva tree
• Vaṭa (banyan)
• Udumbara
• Arjuna
• Kadamba

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Holy places are portrayed as dhārmic landscapes—abundant, life-giving, and supportive of worship and tapas.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Raivataka mountain forest within the Prabhāsa sacred region.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit ritual; the mention of bilva implicitly resonates with Śiva-pūjā traditions.