Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 14

Devanagari script

तावन्मात्रं स्मृतं क्षेत्रं देवैर्वस्त्रापथं कृतम् । उत्तरेण नदी भद्रा पूर्वस्यां योजनद्वयम्

Transliteration

tāvanmātraṃ smṛtaṃ kṣetraṃ devairvastrāpathaṃ kṛtam | uttareṇa nadī bhadrā pūrvasyāṃ yojanadvayam

Translation

เพียงเท่านี้แลเป็นเขตศักดิ์สิทธิ์ที่จดจำกัน—วัสตราปถะ—ซึ่งเหล่าเทวะสถาปนาไว้; ทางเหนือมีแม่น้ำภัทรา และด้านตะวันออกแผ่กว้างสองโยชนะ

Word by Word

• तावत्: so much
• तावत्: Visheshana (Adjectival)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तावत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; परिमाणवाचक-विशेषण (मात्रम्)

• मात्रम्: measure/extent
• मात्रम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मात्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; परिमाणार्थक

• स्मृतम्: is remembered/considered
• स्मृतम्: Predicate (state)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्मृ (धातु) → स्मृत (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त, नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विधेय-विशेषणम् (क्षेत्रम्)

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

• देवैः: by the gods
• देवैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन

• वस्त्रापथम्: Vastrāpatha (as a name)
• वस्त्रापथम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वस्त्रापथ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समास (वस्त्राणां पथः)

• कृतम्: made/established
• कृतम्: Predicate (state)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कृ (धातु) → कृत (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त, नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विधेय-विशेषणम् (क्षेत्रम्/वस्त्रापथम्)

• उत्तरेण: to the north (of)
• उत्तरेण: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: उत्तर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव-प्रयोग/दिशावाचक-तृतीया-रूपेण अव्ययवत् (to the north of); उपपद-योगे अधिकरणार्थ

• नदी: the river
• नदी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नदी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• भद्रा: Bhadrā
• भद्रा: Apposition (Samānādhikaraṇa)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भद्रा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; नदी-नाम

• पूर्वस्याम्: in the east
• पूर्वस्याम्: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पूर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन; दिशावाचक (in the east)

• योजनद्वयम्: two yojanas
• योजनद्वयम्: Measure (Parimāṇa)
• Type: Noun
• Root: योजन + द्वय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; द्विगु-समास (द्वे योजने) परिमाणवाचक

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) to the sages (deduced from Prabhāsa-khaṇḍa māhātmya narration style)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Vastrāpatha-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: King (bhūpati)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Devas delineate Vastrāpatha’s sacred perimeter: the Bhadrā river to the north, measured land to the east, with ritual markers/flags indicating yojana spans.

Characters & Entities

• Vastrāpatha
• Bhadrā (river)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred places are not abstract; Purāṇic dharma preserves their boundaries so pilgrims can approach them with clarity and reverence.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Vastrāpatha-kṣetra, a sacred area within the Prabhāsa region, marked in part by the Bhadrā river.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No specific rite is prescribed here; the verse focuses on defining the kṣetra’s traditional extent.