Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 26

Devanagari script

भूतप्रकृतिरूपा त्वं महाभूतसमाश्रिता । अपर्णा तपसां धात्री भूतधात्री वसुन्धरा

Transliteration

bhūtaprakṛtirūpā tvaṃ mahābhūtasamāśritā | aparṇā tapasāṃ dhātrī bhūtadhātrī vasundharā

Translation

تو ہی مخلوقات کی فطرت کا روپ ہے، اور مہابھوتوں میں قائم ہے۔ تو اپرنا ہے—تپسیا کی دھاتری، جانداروں کی پرورش کرنے والی، خود زمین ماں وسندھرا۔

Word by Word

• bhūta-prakṛti-rūpā: having the form of the nature of beings/elements
• bhūta-prakṛti-rūpā: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: bhūta (प्रातिपदिक) + prakṛti (प्रकृति प्रातिपदिक) + rūpa (रूप प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष (भूत-प्रकृति) + तत्पुरुष (…-रूप); स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; विशेषण (feminine nominative singular; having the form of elemental nature)

• tvam: you
• tvam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yusmad (युष्मद् सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन (pronoun, nominative singular)

• mahā-bhūta-samāśritā: supported by the great elements
• mahā-bhūta-samāśritā: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mahā (प्रातिपदिक) + bhūta (प्रातिपदिक) + samā-√śri (श्रि धातु) (कृदन्त: क्त)
• Form: तत्पुरुष (महाभूत) + उपपद-तत्पुरुष (…-समाश्रिता); क्त-कृदन्त; स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; विशेषण (feminine nominative singular; having resorted to/abiding in the great elements)

• aparṇā: Aparṇā (name of the Goddess)
• aparṇā: Pradhāna-nāma (Predicate nominative/विशेष्य-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: aparṇā (अपर्णा प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन (feminine nominative singular; proper epithet)

• tapasām: of austerities
• tapasām: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tapas (तपस् प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6), बहुवचन (neuter genitive plural)

• dhātrī: supporter, sustainer
• dhātrī: Pradhāna-nāma (Predicate nominative/विशेष्य-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: √dhā (धा धातु) (कृदन्त: तृन्/तृ)
• Form: तृन्-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (agent noun); स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन (feminine nominative singular)

• bhūta-dhātrī: sustainer of beings
• bhūta-dhātrī: Pradhāna-nāma (Predicate nominative/विशेष्य-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhūta (प्रातिपदिक) + √dhā (धा धातु) (कृदन्त: तृन्/तृ)
• Form: तत्पुरुष; तृन्-कृदन्त; स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन (feminine nominative singular)

• vasundharā: Earth (Vasundharā)
• vasundharā: Pradhāna-nāma (Predicate nominative/विशेष्य-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vasundharā (वसुन्धरा प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन (feminine nominative singular; epithet)

Speaker

Devas

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A hymn-scene: devotees praise the Goddess as Earth itself—mountains, rivers, forests, and the five elements subtly forming her cosmic body; she appears as Aparṇā, serene, sustaining ascetics and beings.

Characters & Entities

• Devī
• Aparṇā
• Vasundharā (Earth)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The Goddess is praised as both transcendent and immanent—present as nature, elements, austerity-power, and the sustaining earth.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific tīrtha is stated in this verse; it supports the larger māhātmya by establishing Devī’s universal presence in sacred landscapes.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None directly; it is a stuti verse intended for praise/recitation.