Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 19

Devanagari script

आयामव्यासतश्चैव पञ्चयोजनविस्तरम् । पीठमेतत्समाख्यातमथो गर्भगृहं शृणु

Transliteration

āyāmavyāsataścaiva pañcayojanavistaram | pīṭhametatsamākhyātamatho garbhagṛhaṃ śṛṇu

Translation

நீளமும் அகலமும் ஐந்து யோஜனை அளவு விரிந்தது; இதுவே புனிதப் பீடம் எனப் புகழப்படுகிறது. இனி கர்ப்பகிருஹம் (உள் சந்நிதி) பற்றி கேள்.

Word by Word

• āyāma-vyāsataḥ: as to length and breadth
• āyāma-vyāsataḥ: Avyaya (Manner/अव्यय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: āyāma (प्रातिपदिक) + vyāsa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: द्वन्द्व-समास (आयामः च व्यासः च) + तसिल्-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय (ablatival adverb: 'in terms of length and breadth')

• ca: and
• ca: Avyaya (Connector/अव्यय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-निपात (conjunction)

• eva: indeed
• eva: Avyaya (Particle/अव्यय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (emphasis)

• pañca-yojana-vistaram: a span of five yojanas
• pañca-yojana-vistaram: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pañca (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक) + yojana (प्रातिपदिक) + vistara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन (masc acc sg); द्विगु-तत्पुरुष (pañcayojanānāṃ vistaraḥ)

• pīṭham: the pedestal/platform
• pīṭham: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pīṭha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन (neuter nom/acc sg)

• etat: this
• etat: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: etad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; सर्वनाम-विशेषण

• samākhyātam: is named/declared
• samākhyātam: Kriyā (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sam-ā-√khyā (ख्या धातु) + samākhyāta (कृदन्त, क्त)
• Form: कृदन्त (क्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; कर्मणि-प्रयोगे 'is called/declared' (PPP, neuter nom/acc sg)

• atha: now/then
• atha: Avyaya (Connector/अव्यय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atha (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (discourse particle)

• u: indeed/also
• u: Avyaya (Particle/अव्यय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: u (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (emphatic particle)

• garbha-gṛham: sanctum (inner chamber)
• garbha-gṛham: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: garbha (प्रातिपदिक) + gṛha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन (neuter acc sg); षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (garbhasya gṛham)

• śṛṇu: hear/listen
• śṛṇu: Kriyā (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √śru (श्रु धातु)
• Form: लोट्-लकार (imperative), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

Speaker

Skanda (deduced from Prabhāsakṣetramāhātmya narrative style)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra (pīṭha and garbhagṛha delineation)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Devī (addressed as Deveśi)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A sacred map-like vision: the Prabhāsa seat spread across five yojanas, with a luminous inner sanctum indicated at the center, priests and pilgrims listening as the boundary is proclaimed.

Characters & Entities

• Pīṭha
• Garbhagṛha
• Prabhāsa-kṣetra

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Holiness is tiered: the kṣetra has an inner ‘seat’ and an even more intimate ‘sanctum,’ inviting progressively deeper reverence.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The pīṭha (five-yojana core) and the garbhagṛha (innermost sacred zone) within Prabhāsa-kṣetra.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit ritual; it introduces the next, more interior sacred division for contemplation and pilgrimage focus.