Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 14

Devanagari script

यत्किंचित्त्रिषु लोकेषु स्थावरं जंगमं विभो । तत्सर्वं भवता व्याप्तं काष्ठं हव्यभुजा यथा

Transliteration

yatkiṃcittriṣu lokeṣu sthāvaraṃ jaṃgamaṃ vibho | tatsarvaṃ bhavatā vyāptaṃ kāṣṭhaṃ havyabhujā yathā

Translation

ହେ ବିଭୋ! ତିନି ଲୋକରେ ଯାହା କିଛି ସ୍ଥାବର କିମ୍ବା ଜଙ୍ଗମ ଅଛି, ସେ ସବୁ ତୁମେ ବ୍ୟାପିଛ—ଯେପରି କାଠରେ ହବ୍ୟଭୁଜ (ଅଗ୍ନି) ଅନ୍ତର୍ନିହିତ ଥାଏ।

Word by Word

• yat: whatever
• yat: Sambandha (Relative marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (प्रातिपदिक/सर्वनाम)
• Form: Neuter, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular; relative pronoun

• kiṃcit: anything, some
• kiṃcit: Sambandha (Indefiniteness/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: kiṃcit (अव्यय/सर्वनाम-निबद्ध)
• Form: Avyaya; aniyata-pramāṇa (indefinite particle)

• triṣu: in the three
• triṣu: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tri (प्रातिपदिक/संख्या)
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Locative (7th/सप्तमी), Plural; numeral adjective

• lokeṣu: worlds
• lokeṣu: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: loka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Locative (7th/सप्तमी), Plural

• sthāvaram: immobile (beings/things)
• sthāvaram: Karta (Part of subject set/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sthāvara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular; used substantively (‘immobile [beings]’)

• jaṅgamam: mobile (beings/things)
• jaṅgamam: Karta (Part of subject set/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: jaṅgama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular; used substantively (‘mobile [beings]’)

• vibho: O all-pervading one
• vibho: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vibhu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Vocative (8th/सम्बोधन), Singular

• tat: that
• tat: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (प्रातिपदिक/सर्वनाम)
• Form: Neuter, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular; demonstrative pronoun

• sarvam: all
• sarvam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular; agrees with tat

• bhavatā: by you
• bhavatā: Karana (Agentive instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhavat (प्रातिपदिक/सर्वनाम-आदर)
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental (3rd/तृतीया), Singular; honorific 2nd person

• vyāptam: pervaded
• vyāptam: Kriya-visheshana/Predicate (State/भाव)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vi-ā-√āp (आप्/आप्नुते, व्याप्तौ) + kta (क्त)
• Form: Neuter, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular; kta-participle; predicate adjective

• kāṣṭham: wood
• kāṣṭham: Upamana (Standard of comparison/उपमान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kāṣṭha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular; upamāna in simile

• havyabhujā: by the oblation-eater (fire)
• havyabhujā: Karana (Instrument in simile/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: havya (प्रातिपदिक) + bhuj (√bhuj भक्षणे, प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental (3rd/तृतीया), Singular; tatpuruṣa (‘eater of oblations’ = fire)

• yathā: as, just like
• yathā: Sambandha (Comparative marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yathā (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya; upamā-vācaka (comparative particle)

Speaker

Viśvāmitra

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A panoramic tripartite cosmos (heaven, earth, netherworld) filled with beings—trees, animals, humans, devas—overlaid by a subtle luminous presence; in the foreground, a piece of wood shows a faint inner flame, suggesting latent fire.

Characters & Entities

• Viśvāmitra
• Vibhu (Lord)
• Tri-loka (three worlds)
• Agni (Havyabhuj)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Since the Lord pervades all existence, sacred geography (tīrthas) reveals what is universally true: divinity is present everywhere, awaiting manifestation.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Not named in this verse; it provides the metaphysical foundation for why any tīrtha can serve as a doorway to realization.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; the verse uses analogy (fire in wood) to teach pervasive divinity.