Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 53

Devanagari script

सरलैः पनसैर्वृक्षैस्तिंदुकैः करवीरकैः । मंदारैः पारिजातैश्च मलयैश्चंदनैस्तथा

Transliteration

saralaiḥ panasairvṛkṣaistiṃdukaiḥ karavīrakaiḥ | maṃdāraiḥ pārijātaiśca malayaiścaṃdanaistathā

Translation

ਉਹ ਪਹਾੜ ਸਰਲ (ਚੀੜ) ਵਰਗੇ ਵ੍ਰਿਖਾਂ, ਪਨਸ (ਕਠਲ) ਦੇ ਦਰੱਖਤਾਂ, ਤਿੰਦੁਕ ਅਤੇ ਕਰਵੀਰ ਦੀਆਂ ਝਾੜੀਆਂ ਨਾਲ ਸੁਸ਼ੋਭਿਤ ਸੀ; ਅਤੇ ਦੇਵਲੋਕੀ ਮੰਦਾਰ ਤੇ ਪਾਰਿਜਾਤ ਦੇ ਪੁਸ਼ਪਾਂ ਨਾਲ, ਨਾਲ ਹੀ ਸੁਗੰਧਿਤ ਮਲਯ ਚੰਦਨ ਨਾਲ ਭੀ।

Word by Word

• सरलैः: with pine/deodar trees (sarala)
• सरलैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सरल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), बहुवचन (Plural)

• पनसैः: with jackfruit trees
• पनसैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पनस (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), बहुवचन (Plural)

• वृक्षैः: with trees
• वृक्षैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वृक्ष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), बहुवचन (Plural)

• तिन्दुकैः: with tinduka trees
• तिन्दुकैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तिन्दुक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), बहुवचन (Plural)

• करवीरकैः: with oleander (karavīraka)
• करवीरकैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: करवीरक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), बहुवचन (Plural)

• मन्दारैः: with mandāra trees
• मन्दारैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मन्दार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), बहुवचन (Plural)

• पारिजातैः: with pārijāta trees
• पारिजातैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पारिजात (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), बहुवचन (Plural)

• च: and
• च: Avyaya (Connector/अव्यय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, समुच्चय-बोधक (and)

• मलयैः: with malaya (mountain/trees)
• मलयैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मलय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), बहुवचन (Plural)

• चन्दनैः: with sandalwood (trees)
• चन्दनैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चन्दन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), बहुवचन (Plural)

• तथा: also
• तथा: Avyaya (Modifier/अव्यय-प्रयोग)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, प्रकार/समुच्चय-बोधक (adverb: likewise/also)

Speaker

Narrator (contextual; within Prabhāsa Khaṇḍa Arbuda Khaṇḍa, presented as a descriptive narration of Arbuda’s glory)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Arbuda-parvata

Type: peak

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Arbuda’s slopes with sarala pines, jackfruit and tiṃduka trees, karavīra shrubs, and an overlay of celestial mandāra and pārijāta blossoms; wafts of Malaya sandalwood fragrance suggested by curling aromatic streams.

Characters & Entities

• Arbuda-parvata
• Mandāra
• Pārijāta
• Malaya-candana

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

A tīrtha’s sanctity is reflected in its divinely ordered ecology—its beauty and fragrance signify accumulated puṇya and a dharmic landscape.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Mount Arbuda (Arbuda-parvata), praised in the Arbuda Khaṇḍa of the Prabhāsa Khaṇḍa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None in this verse; it is a māhātmya-style description of the sacred environment.