Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 25

Devanagari script

पलाशफलन्यग्रोधप्लक्षाश्वत्थविकंकताः । औदुम्बरस्तथा बिल्वं चंदनं यज्ञियाश्च ये

Transliteration

palāśaphalanyagrodhaplakṣāśvatthavikaṃkatāḥ | audumbarastathā bilvaṃ caṃdanaṃ yajñiyāśca ye

Translation

पलाश, फलवृक्ष, न्यग्रोध, प्लक्ष, अश्वत्थ, विकंकत, औदुंबर, बिल्व, चंदन आणि यज्ञास योग्य अशी इतर काष्ठे—ही सर्वे विधिकर्मासाठी प्रशंसित आहेत.

Word by Word

• पलाशफलन्यग्रोधप्लक्षाश्वत्थविकङ्कताः: palāśa, fruit(-tree), banyan, plakṣa, aśvattha, and vikankata (trees)
• पलाशफलन्यग्रोधप्लक्षाश्वत्थविकङ्कताः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पलाश (प्रातिपदिक) + फल (प्रातिपदिक) + न्यग्रोध (प्रातिपदिक) + प्लक्ष (प्रातिपदिक) + अश्वत्थ (प्रातिपदिक) + विकङ्कत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), बहुवचन (Plural)

• औदुम्बरः: udumbara (fig tree)
• औदुम्बरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: औदुम्बर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

• तथा: and also; likewise
• तथा: Sambandha (Linker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अव्यय-प्रकारः—समुच्चय/अन्वयार्थक (conjunctive adverb: 'also/likewise')

• बिल्वम्: bilva (bael tree)
• बिल्वम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: बिल्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

• चन्दनम्: sandalwood
• चन्दनम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चन्दन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

• यज्ञियाः: fit for sacrifice; sacrificial
• यज्ञियाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: यज्ञिय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), बहुवचन (Plural); विशेषण (adjective)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Linker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अव्यय-प्रकारः—समुच्चयबोधक (conjunction 'and')

• ये: which; those that
• ये: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), बहुवचन (Plural); सर्वनाम (pronoun)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced from Prabhāsa-kṣetra-māhātmya narrative style)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A ritual workshop scene: artisans and priests selecting logs/leaves from named trees; each tree shown with distinctive leaves—palāśa trifoliate, banyan (nyagrodha) aerial roots, aśvattha heart-shaped leaves, bilva trifoliate, sandalwood paste—arranged like a sacred inventory.

Characters & Entities

• Palāśa
• Nyagrodha
• Plakṣa
• Aśvattha
• Vikaṅkata
• Audumbara
• Bilva
• Candana

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Nature is integrated into dharma: certain trees are treated as ‘yajñiya’ and therefore appropriate supports for sacred action.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa-kṣetra, within whose māhātmya the correct selection of ritual woods is taught.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A catalog of woods/trees is given as suitable for sacred use (yajñiya), forming a guideline for selecting ritual materials.