Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 20

Devanagari script

अथासौ ब्राह्मणो देवि यावत्सीमामुपागतः । तावद्विष्णुप्रियं तत्र ददृशे वैष्णवं वनम्

Transliteration

athāsau brāhmaṇo devi yāvatsīmāmupāgataḥ | tāvadviṣṇupriyaṃ tatra dadṛśe vaiṣṇavaṃ vanam

Translation

Kemudian, wahai Devī, ketika brāhmaṇa itu sampai ke sempadan wilayah, seketika itu juga dia melihat di sana sebuah rimba Vaiṣṇava, yang dikasihi oleh Viṣṇu.

Word by Word

• अथ: then, thereafter
• अथ: Sambandha (Discourse connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अथ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अनुक्रमसूचक/आरम्भार्थक (particle/adverb: then/now)

• असौ: that (man), he
• असौ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: असद्/अदस् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम; पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; deictic pronoun

• ब्राह्मणः: the Brahmin
• ब्राह्मणः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्राह्मण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• देवि: O goddess
• देवि: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देवी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th), एकवचन

• यावत्: as far as, until
• यावत्: Sambandha (Correlative marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यावत् (अव्यय/सम्बन्धाव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; परिमाण/अवधि-सूचक (correlative: as far as/until)

• सीमाम्: the boundary, limit
• सीमाम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सीमा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• उपागतः: arrived, came near
• उपागतः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: उप-गम् (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त); पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; कर्तरि प्रयोग; ‘having come/arrived’

• तावत्: then, at that time
• तावत्: Sambandha (Correlative marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तावत् (अव्यय/सम्बन्धाव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; तावत्-यावत् सहसम्बन्ध (correlative: then/so long)

• विष्णुप्रियम्: dear to Viṣṇu
• विष्णुप्रियम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: विष्णु + प्रिय (प्रातिपदिक); समास
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; विशेषण; (विष्णोः प्रियम्)

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (adverb of place)

• ददृशे: he saw
• ददृशे: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (परोक्षभूत/Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

• वैष्णवम्: Vaiṣṇava, pertaining to Viṣṇu
• वैष्णवम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वैष्णव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; विशेषण

• वनम्: forest
• वनम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

Speaker

Narrator (continuing the account in response to Devī’s query)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Vaiṣṇava-vana at Prabhāsa boundary (unnamed here)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Śrī Devī

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Gautama reaches the kṣetra boundary; before him opens a lush forest with Vaiṣṇava signs—tulasī groves, śālagrāma-like stones, a small Viṣṇu shrine—bathed in tranquil light.

Characters & Entities

• Brāhmaṇa
• Devī
• Viṣṇu
• Vaiṣṇava vana
• Prabhāsa-kṣetra

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The sacred landscape reveals itself progressively; crossing into a holy kṣetra is marked by encounters with sanctified groves and signs of divine presence.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

A Vaiṣṇava vana (forest sanctum) within the boundary of Prabhāsa-kṣetra.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly; the verse sets the scene for a tīrtha-related narrative.