Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 36

Devanagari script

विचित्रोत्पलसंघातैरृक्षद्विपसमाकुला

Transliteration

vicitrotpalasaṃghātairṛkṣadvipasamākulā

Translation

ସେ ବିଚିତ୍ର ବର୍ଣ୍ଣର ଉତ୍ପଳଗୁଚ୍ଛରେ ଶୋଭିତ ଥିଲେ, ଏବଂ ତାଙ୍କ ତଟଭୂମି ଭାଲୁ ଓ ହାତୀମାନେ ଭରିଥିଲେ।

Word by Word

• विचित्रोत्पलसंघातैः: with clusters of variegated lotuses
• विचित्रोत्पलसंघातैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विचित्र + उत्पल + संघात (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (करण), बहुवचन; समासः—(विचित्राणि उत्पलानि) तेषां संघातः → विचित्रोत्पलसंघात; तैः = by/with clusters

• ऋक्षद्विपसमाकुला: crowded with bears and elephants
• ऋक्षद्विपसमाकुला: Visheshana (Qualifier of implied नदी/रेवा)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ऋक्ष + द्विप + समाकुल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; समासः—षष्ठी/तत्पुरुषार्थः (ऋक्षैः द्विपैः च समाकुला = crowded with bears and elephants)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced from Revā Khaṇḍa narrative style within Skanda Purāṇa)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā (Narmadā) riverbanks

Type: ghat

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A broad river surface dotted with many-colored lotus clusters; along the banks, bears and elephants gather amid dense greenery, suggesting a primeval sacred forest-river corridor.

Characters & Entities

• Revā (Narmadā)
• Utpala (lotus)
• Bears
• Elephants

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The tīrtha is depicted as naturally auspicious—its beauty and vitality reflect the presence of the sacred.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Revā/Narmadā river region, praised through its lotus-filled waters and thriving wilderness.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it is a descriptive māhātmya verse enhancing the sacred atmosphere of the pilgrimage landscape.