Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 16

Devanagari script

दक्षिणे सागरस्तद्वद्भद्रा नद्युत्तरे मता । एवं सीमासमायुक्तं क्षेत्रं द्वादशयोजनम्

Transliteration

dakṣiṇe sāgarastadvadbhadrā nadyuttare matā | evaṃ sīmāsamāyuktaṃ kṣetraṃ dvādaśayojanam

Translation

ทิศใต้เป็นมหาสมุทร และทิศเหนือถือว่าแม่น้ำภัทราเป็นขอบเขต เช่นนี้เมื่อประกอบด้วยเขตแดนแล้ว กเษตรอันศักดิ์สิทธิ์นี้แผ่กว้างสิบสองโยชนะ

Word by Word

• दक्षिणे: in the south
• दक्षिणे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दक्षिण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7), एकवचन; locative singular: 'in the south'

• सागरः: the ocean
• सागरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सागर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; nominative singular

• तद्वत्: likewise
• तद्वत्: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तद्वत् (अव्यय/तद्धितान्त)
• Form: अव्यय; उपमानार्थक (comparative particle): 'likewise/in the same way'

• भद्रा: Bhadrā (river)
• भद्रा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भद्रा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; nominative singular (river-name)

• नदी: river
• नदी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नदी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; nominative singular; apposition to 'भद्रा'

• उत्तरे: in the north
• उत्तरे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: उत्तर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7), एकवचन; locative singular: 'in the north'

• मता: is considered/held to be
• मता: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: मन् (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्यय (भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; 'is considered' (agreeing with भद्रा नदी)

• एवम्: thus
• एवम्: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एवम् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रकारवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (manner adverb)

• सीमासमायुक्तम्: endowed with boundaries
• सीमासमायुक्तम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सीमा + सम् + युज् (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष: 'सीमाभिः समायुक्तम्' (endowed with boundaries); क्त-प्रत्यय PPP

• क्षेत्रम्: the kṣetra
• क्षेत्रम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्षेत्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन

• द्वादशयोजनम्: twelve-yojana (in extent)
• द्वादशयोजनम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: द्वादश + योजन (प्रातिपदिके)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; द्विगु-समास: 'twelve-yojana (in extent)'

Speaker

Skanda (deduced from Prabhāsakṣetramāhātmya narrative style)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra (sāgara–Bhadrā boundary)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Devī

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A wide sacred map: the kṣetra shown as a band of land with the ocean to the south (waves, horizon) and a river to the north (flowing line), with a caption ‘dvādaśa-yojana’ indicating the total extent.

Characters & Entities

• Sāgara (Ocean)
• Bhadrā Nadī
• Prabhāsa-kṣetra

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pilgrimage in Purāṇic dharma is anchored in sacred geography; knowing the kṣetra’s limits supports disciplined, intentional worship.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa-kṣetra, measured and bounded by the ocean to the south and the Bhadrā river to the north.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No direct prescription; the verse provides the kṣetra’s extent (dvādaśa-yojana) for pilgrimage planning and kṣetra-understanding.