Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 12

Devanagari script

वर्षाणि भारताद्यानि पत्राण्यस्य चतुर्द्दिशम् । भारतं केतुमालं च कुरु भद्राश्वमेव च

Transliteration

varṣāṇi bhāratādyāni patrāṇyasya caturddiśam | bhārataṃ ketumālaṃ ca kuru bhadrāśvameva ca

Translation

भारत इत्यादी वर्षे या (पृथ्वी-रूपी) पद्माच्या पाकळ्या आहेत, ज्या चारही दिशांना पसरलेल्या आहेत—भारत, केतुमाल, कुरु आणि भद्राश्व।

Word by Word

• varṣāṇi: regions/varṣas
• varṣāṇi: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: varṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napumsakaliṅga (n.), Prathamā vibhakti (Nominative/1st), Bahuvacana (Plural)

• bhārata-ādyāni: beginning with Bhārata
• bhārata-ādyāni: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: bhārata (प्रातिपदिक) + ādi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napumsakaliṅga (n.), Prathamā vibhakti, Bahuvacana; tatpuruṣa ‘beginning with Bhārata’ used adjectivally qualifying varṣāṇi

• patrāṇi: petals/leaves
• patrāṇi: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: patra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napumsakaliṅga (n.), Prathamā vibhakti, Bahuvacana

• asya: of this
• asya: Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: idam (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga/napuṃsakaliṅga, Ṣaṣṭhī vibhakti (Genitive/6th), Ekavacana; pronoun

• catur-diśam: four-directioned (on all four sides)
• catur-diśam: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: catur (संख्या/प्रातिपदिक) + diś (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napumsakaliṅga (n.), Prathamā/Accusative, Ekavacana; tatpuruṣa ‘(having) four directions’ used adjectivally (as a collective)

• bhāratam: Bhārata
• bhāratam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhārata (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napumsakaliṅga (n.), Prathamā/Accusative, Ekavacana

• ketumālam: Ketumāla
• ketumālam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ketumāla (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napumsakaliṅga (n.), Prathamā/Accusative, Ekavacana

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: Samuccaya-avyaya (conjunction)

• kuru: Kuru
• kuru: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kuru (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napumsakaliṅga (n.), Prathamā/Accusative, Ekavacana

• bhadrāśvam: Bhadrāśva
• bhadrāśvam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhadrāśva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napumsakaliṅga (n.), Prathamā/Accusative, Ekavacana

• eva: indeed/just
• eva: Sambandha (Emphasis/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: Avadhāraṇa-avyaya (emphatic particle)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: Samuccaya-avyaya (conjunction)

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva)

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Devī

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A giant lotus seen from above: four petals labeled Bhārata (south), Ketumāla (west), Kuru (north), Bhadrāśva (east), with subtle directional guardians at each quarter and a sacred center glowing.

Characters & Entities

• Bhārata
• Ketumāla
• Kuru
• Bhadrāśva
• Varṣa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The cosmos is portrayed as an ordered, meaningful sacred map—encouraging reverence for kṣetras and pilgrimage culture within dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No single tīrtha is named; it is a macro-map that supports the later praise of Prabhāsa within Bhārata.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None.