Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 25

Devanagari script

देवारण्येषु सर्वेषु नदीषु च नदेषु च । पृथिव्यां यानि तीर्थानि समुद्राद्यानि भारत

Transliteration

devāraṇyeṣu sarveṣu nadīṣu ca nadeṣu ca | pṛthivyāṃ yāni tīrthāni samudrādyāni bhārata

Translation

హే భారతా! సమస్త దేవారణ్యాలలో, నదులలో మరియు ఉపనదులలో, అలాగే భూమిపై సముద్రాది మొదలుకొని ఉన్న యావత్తీ తీర్థాలలో (ఆయన సంచరించెను)।

Word by Word

• देवारण्येषु: in the divine forests
• देवारण्येषु: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव + अरण्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (देवानाम् अरण्येषु / देवस्य अरण्येषु), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), बहुवचन

• सर्वेषु: in all
• सर्वेषु: Adhikarana (Location-qualifier/अधिकरणविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), बहुवचन; विशेषण (of देवारण्येषु etc.)

• नदीषु: in rivers
• नदीषु: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नदी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), बहुवचन

• च: and
• च: Discourse (Conjunction/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयार्थक (conjunction)

• नदेषु: in streams/rivers
• नदेषु: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), बहुवचन

• च: and
• च: Discourse (Conjunction/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयार्थक (conjunction)

• पृथिव्याम्: on the earth
• पृथिव्याम्: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पृथिवी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• यानि: which (things)
• यानि: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक (relative pronoun)

• तीर्थानि: pilgrimage places
• तीर्थानि: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन

• समुद्राद्यानि: beginning with the ocean, etc.
• समुद्राद्यानि: Karta (Subject-qualifier/कर्तृविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: समुद्र + आदि + (प्रातिपदिक suffix -य)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (समुद्रः आदिः येषाम्), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; विशेषण (of तीर्थानि)

• भारत: O Bhārata
• भारत: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भारत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative), एकवचन

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) to the sages (deduced: Āvantya Khaṇḍa narrative style)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Sarva-tīrtha-saṅgraha (all tīrthas collectively)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Bhārata

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A montage-map: Kumāra traverses forests, riverbanks, mountain passes, and ocean shores; small vignettes show snāna at a river, worship in a forest shrine, and standing before the sea—suggesting a sacred atlas.

Characters & Entities

• Tīrthas
• Devāraṇya (sacred forests)
• Rivers
• Oceans

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharma is nurtured through sacred geography: tīrthas, rivers, forests, and seas are living supports for purification and spiritual discipline.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse broadly glorifies all tīrthas—rivers, sacred forests, and oceans—framing the Purāṇa’s pan-Indian pilgrimage vision.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No single rite; it implies tīrtha-sevā—approaching holy places for purification, worship, and spiritual practice.