Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 74

Devanagari script

पुरा नंदवनं नाम क्षेत्रमेतत्प्रकीर्तितम् । अविमुक्तं तदारभ्य नामास्य प्रथितं भुवि

Transliteration

purā naṃdavanaṃ nāma kṣetrametatprakīrtitam | avimuktaṃ tadārabhya nāmāsya prathitaṃ bhuvi

Translation

กาลก่อน คเษตรนี้เลื่องลือในนาม ‘นันทวัน’ และนับแต่นั้นเป็นต้นมา นาม ‘อวิมุกตะ’ ของที่นี่ก็แพร่หลายไปทั่วพิภพ

Word by Word

• पुरा: formerly
• पुरा: Kala (Time/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुरा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक (adverb: formerly/once)

• नन्दवनम्: Nandavana (name of a grove/region)
• नन्दवनम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नन्द-वन (प्रातिपदिक; नन्द + वन)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; तत्पुरुषसमासः (नन्दस्य/आनन्दस्य वनम्) — नामरूपेण

• नाम: named
• नाम: Sambandha (Naming particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नाम (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; नामार्थक निपात (particle: ‘named/called’)

• क्षेत्रम्: the sacred field/region
• क्षेत्रम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्षेत्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• एतत्: this
• एतत्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; सर्वनाम — ‘क्षेत्रम्’ इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

• प्रकीर्तितम्: was proclaimed
• प्रकीर्तितम्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र-√कीर्त् (धातु) + प्रकीर्तित (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; क्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त; कर्मणि प्रयोगे ‘was proclaimed’

• अविमुक्तम्: Avimukta (name)
• अविमुक्तम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अ-वि-√मुच् (धातु) + अविमुक्त (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; क्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त; अत्र नामरूपेण (as a proper name)

• तद्: from that
• तद्: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/अपादान), एकवचन; ‘from that (time)’

• आरभ्य: starting from, onwards
• आरभ्य: Kala (Time/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: आ-√रभ् (धातु)
• Form: ल्यप्-प्रत्ययान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (gerund/absolutive): ‘having begun/from (that) onwards’

• नाम: name
• नाम: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नामन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• अस्य: of this (place)
• अस्य: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, षष्ठी (6th/सम्बन्ध), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• प्रथितम्: became renowned
• प्रथितम्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र-√था (धातु) + प्रथित (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; क्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त; कर्मणि प्रयोगे ‘became renowned/was famed’

• भुवि: on earth
• भुवि: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भू (प्रातिपदिक: भुव्/भू)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/अधिकरण), एकवचन

Speaker

Skanda (deduced, Kāśīkhaṇḍa context)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Nandavana (earlier name) / Avimukta (later famed name)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Ṛṣis/assembly (typical frame; not stated in verse)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A tranquil grove-city: Nandavana as a blissful forested sacred precinct gradually revealed as Avimukta, with sages reciting the new name; inscriptions or banners showing both names.

Characters & Entities

• Nandavana
• Avimukta
• Kṣetra

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred places carry layered identities across time; their enduring sanctity is preserved through divinely grounded names and remembrance.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Avimukta Kṣetra (Kāśī/Vārāṇasī), formerly known as Nandavana.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No ritual is prescribed; the verse provides sacred etymology and place-name history for the kṣetra.