Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 168
पालाशं पात्रमादाय च्छिन्नदग्धप्ररोहणम् । दोग्धा तु पुष्पितः शालः प्लक्षो वत्सो यशस्विनि । सर्वकामदुघा दोग्धा पृथिवी भूतभाविनी
pālāśaṃ pātramādāya cchinnadagdhaprarohaṇam | dogdhā tu puṣpitaḥ śālaḥ plakṣo vatso yaśasvini | sarvakāmadughā dogdhā pṛthivī bhūtabhāvinī
Dengan mengambil bejana daripada kayu palāśa—yang walau dipotong atau dibakar masih mampu bertunas kembali—pohon śāla yang sedang berbunga menjadi pemerah susu, dan pohon plakṣa menjadi anak lembu, wahai yang termasyhur. Demikianlah Bumi, ibu yang melahirkan segala makhluk, diperah sebagai pemberi segala hajat yang diingini.
Skanda (deduced from Prabhāsakṣetra-māhātmya narration style)
Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra
Type: kshetra
Listener: Yashasvinī/Devī (as addressed)
Scene: A palāśa-wood vessel—symbol of resprouting vitality—is held ready. A flowering śāla tree is personified as the milker; the plakṣa stands as the calf. The Earth, mother of beings, yields a luminous stream of ‘all-desires’ bounty—flowers, fruits, grains, and auspicious substances.
FAQs
The Earth is celebrated as a wish-fulfilling nourisher when approached through dharmic harmony with nature.
Prabhāsa-kṣetra is the textual setting; this verse highlights sacred ecology (trees) as part of the kṣetra’s sanctifying worldview.
No direct ritual; however, the prominence of sacred trees supports dharmic ideals of honoring and protecting life-sustaining flora.