Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 63

Devanagari script

अहं बीजधरः श्रेष्ठस्त्वं तु क्षेत्रं वरानने । अहं वनस्पतिः प्लक्षस्त्वं वनस्पतिरुच्यसे

Transliteration

ahaṃ bījadharaḥ śreṣṭhastvaṃ tu kṣetraṃ varānane | ahaṃ vanaspatiḥ plakṣastvaṃ vanaspatirucyase

Translation

เราคือผู้ทรงเมล็ดพันธุ์อันประเสริฐ; แต่โอ นางผู้มีพักตร์งาม เธอคือผืนนา/แผ่นดินรองรับ เราคือพฤกษาเจ้าแห่งป่า คือไม้ปลักษะ; และเธอก็ถูกเรียกว่าเป็นพฤกษาผู้ค้ำจุนชีวิตเช่นกัน

Word by Word

• अहम्: I
• अहम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उभयलिङ्ग-प्रयोग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

• बीजधरः: seed-bearer
• बीजधरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: बीज (प्रातिपदिक) + धर (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; √धृ धातु)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन (Singular); षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (बीजं धरतीति/बीजस्य धारकः)

• श्रेष्ठः: best
• श्रेष्ठः: Karta (Predicate/कर्ता-समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: श्रेष्ठ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन (Singular); विशेषण (superior)

• त्वम्: you
• त्वम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उभयलिङ्ग-प्रयोग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

• तु: but
• तु: Sambandha (Contrast/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: विरोध/विशेषण-अव्यय (particle: but/indeed)

• क्षेत्रम्: field
• क्षेत्रम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्षेत्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

• वरानने: O fair-faced one
• वरानने: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वरानना (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, संबोधन (8th/Vocative), एकवचन (Singular); कर्मधारयः (वरा आनना यस्याः)

• अहम्: I
• अहम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उभयलिङ्ग-प्रयोग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

• वनस्पतिः: lord of the forest; tree
• वनस्पतिः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वनस्पति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन (Singular); षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (वनस्य पतिः)

• प्लक्षः: the plakṣa tree
• प्लक्षः: Karta (Predicate/कर्ता-समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्लक्ष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

• त्वम्: you
• त्वम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उभयलिङ्ग-प्रयोग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

• वनस्पतिः: tree
• वनस्पतिः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वनस्पति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन (Singular); षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (वनस्य पतिः)

• उच्यसे: are called
• उच्यसे: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd person), एकवचन (Singular); आत्मनेपद; कर्मणि-प्रयोग (passive: you are called)

Speaker

Śiva (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A symbolic agrarian-cosmic scene: the male deity holding a golden seed (bīja) and the Goddess as a fertile field with sprouting lotuses; a majestic plakṣa tree spreads a canopy, with pilgrims resting beneath; coastal breeze hints Prabhāsa’s shore.

Characters & Entities

• Bīja (seed)
• Kṣetra (field)
• Vanaspati
• Plakṣa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Creation and fruition arise from the union of seed and field—divine power is present in nature’s generative order.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa-kṣetra, where natural symbols (fields, trees) are interpreted as sacred embodiments.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicit; it supports reverence for sacred trees and the land as part of tīrtha-dharma.