Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 17

Devanagari script

क्षेत्राणि मोक्षदान्यंग त्रैलोक्यजानि नारद । देवाश्च पितरः सिद्धा ऋषयो मानवादयः

Transliteration

kṣetrāṇi mokṣadānyaṃga trailokyajāni nārada | devāśca pitaraḥ siddhā ṛṣayo mānavādayaḥ

Translation

“ప్రియమా, ఇవి మోక్షప్రదమైన క్షేత్రాలు, ఓ నారదా—మూడు లోకాలలో ప్రసిద్ధమైనవి. ఇక్కడ దేవులు, పితృదేవతలు, సిద్ధులు, ఋషులు, మనుష్యులు మొదలైనవారు కూడా ఉన్నారు.”

Word by Word

• kṣetrāṇi: sacred fields/holy places
• kṣetrāṇi: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kṣetra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (Nom./Acc.), बहुवचन

• mokṣa-dāni: granting liberation
• mokṣa-dāni: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mokṣa (प्रातिपदिक) + dā (धातु) → dāna/dāyin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष (determinative: ‘giving mokṣa’), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (Nom./Acc.), बहुवचन; kṣetrāṇi इत्यस्य विशेषण

• aṅga: O dear (sir)
• aṅga: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: aṅga (अव्यय/सम्बोधन-निपात)
• Form: सम्बोधन-निपात (vocative particle, affectionate address)

• trailokya-jāni: belonging to the three worlds
• trailokya-jāni: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tri-lokya (प्रातिपदिक) + ja (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष (determinative: ‘born in/pertaining to the three worlds’), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (Nom./Acc.), बहुवचन; kṣetrāṇi इत्यस्य विशेषण

• nārada: O Nārada
• nārada: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nārada (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, संबोधन (Vocative), एकवचन

• devāḥ: gods
• devāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (Nom.), बहुवचन

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

• pitaraḥ: manes/ancestors
• pitaraḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pitṛ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (Nom.), बहुवचन

• siddhāḥ: Siddhas (perfected beings)
• siddhāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: siddha (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; √sidh)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (Nom.), बहुवचन

• ṛṣayaḥ: sages
• ṛṣayaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ṛṣi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (Nom.), बहुवचन

• mānava-ādayaḥ: humans and others
• mānava-ādayaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mānava (प्रातिपदik) + ādi (प्रातिपदik)
• Form: तत्पुरुष (mānava as first among: ‘humans and others’), पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (Nom.), बहुवचन

Speaker

Gautamī (Godāvarī)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Mokṣa-dāyaka kṣetra-samūha (collective)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A sacred field shimmering with unseen presences: devas above, pitṛs in subtle forms, siddhas in the sky, ṛṣis seated in meditation, humans gathered reverently as Gautamī indicates the kṣetras’ mokṣa-giving power.

Characters & Entities

• Nārada
• Devas
• Pitṛs
• Siddhas
• Ṛṣis
• Mānavas

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Kṣetras and tīrthas are portrayed as liberation-bestowing and cosmically significant, drawing divine and ancestral presences.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse praises sacred kṣetras in general within the Dvārakā-māhātmya setting, emphasizing their fame across the three worlds.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No specific ritual is prescribed; the emphasis is on the sanctity and liberating potency of kṣetras.