Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 13

Devanagari script

दक्षिणोत्तरतो देवि पञ्चपूर्वापरेण तु । उत्तरेण समुद्रस्य यावन्माहेश्वरी नदी

Transliteration

dakṣiṇottarato devi pañcapūrvāpareṇa tu | uttareṇa samudrasya yāvanmāheśvarī nadī

Translation

ਹੇ ਦੇਵੀ, ਇਹ ਦੱਖਣ ਤੋਂ ਉੱਤਰ ਤੱਕ ਪੰਜ ਯੋਜਨ ਅਤੇ ਇਸੇ ਤਰ੍ਹਾਂ ਪੂਰਬ ਤੋਂ ਪੱਛਮ ਤੱਕ ਪੰਜ ਯੋਜਨ ਫੈਲਦਾ ਹੈ; ਅਤੇ ਉੱਤਰ ਵੱਲ ਸਮੁੰਦਰ ਤੋਂ ਮਾਹੇਸ਼ਵਰੀ ਨਾਮਕ ਨਦੀ ਤੱਕ ਹੈ।

Word by Word

• दक्षिणोत्तरतः: from the south and the north (in extent)
• दक्षिणोत्तरतः: Adhikarana (Directional extent/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: दक्षिण (प्रातिपदिक) + उत्तर (प्रातिपदिक) + तः (अव्यय-प्रत्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; दिशावाचक-तसिल् (ablatival adverb) ‘from south and north’; पूर्वपदद्वन्द्व (दक्षिण+उत्तर)

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

• पञ्चपूर्वापरेण: by (an extent of) five (yojanas) east–west
• पञ्चपूर्वापरेण: Karana (Measure/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पञ्च (प्रातिपदिक) + पूर्व (प्रातिपदिक) + अपर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), एकवचन; द्विगु-समासः (पञ्च + पूर्वापर); ‘पूर्वापर’ इति द्वन्द्व-आधारः; तृतीया—परिमाण/विस्तारवाचक (by an extent of five)

• तु: and/indeed
• तु: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधान/विरोध (particle: but/indeed)

• उत्तरेण: to the north of/by the northern side
• उत्तरेण: Adhikarana (Directional locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: उत्तर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), एकवचन; ‘उत्तरेण’ = उत्तरदिशया/उत्तरभागेन (instrumental of direction/side)

• समुद्रस्य: of the ocean/sea
• समुद्रस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: समुद्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), एकवचन

• यावत्: up to/as far as
• यावत्: Adhikarana (Limit/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यावत् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; परिमाण/अवधि-वाचक (up to/as far as)

• माहेश्वरी: Māheśvarī (connected with Maheśvara)
• माहेश्वरी: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: माहेश्वरी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (नदी-विशेषण)

• नदी: river
• नदी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नदी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

Speaker

Skanda (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra (bounded by samudra and Māheśvarī nadī)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Devī

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A schematic sacred map: the ocean to the south, the Māheśvarī river to the north, with a glowing rectangular/mandala-like field spanning five yojanas north–south and east–west, marked by pilgrimage paths.

Characters & Entities

• Samudra (ocean)
• Māheśvarī Nadī

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purāṇas sanctify geography by defining dharmic space—pilgrimage is practiced within revealed sacred boundaries.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa-kṣetra’s Arkasthala-associated sacred region, bounded by the ocean and the Māheśvarī river.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; the verse functions as a tīrtha-māhātmya ‘map’ describing extent and borders.