Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 13

Devanagari script

सर्वत्र तरुपुष्पाढ्यं शाखामृगगणाकुलम् । पुष्प पद्मवनोपेतं सपल्वलमहावनम्

Transliteration

sarvatra tarupuṣpāḍhyaṃ śākhāmṛgagaṇākulam | puṣpa padmavanopetaṃ sapalvalamahāvanam

Translation

ہر سمت وہ عظیم جنگل درختوں کے شگوفوں سے لبریز تھا؛ شاخوں میں پھرنے والے جانوروں کے غول سے بھرا ہوا۔ پھول دار جھاڑیوں اور کنول کے بنوں سے آراستہ، اور تالابوں و دلدلی جوہڑوں سے معمور تھا۔

Word by Word

• sarvatra: everywhere
• sarvatra: Desha-adhikarana (Locative sense)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sarvatra (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (everywhere)

• taru-puṣpa-āḍhyam: rich with tree-flowers
• taru-puṣpa-āḍhyam: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: taru (प्रातिपदिक) + puṣpa (प्रातिपदिक) + āḍhya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (तरूणां पुष्पैः आढ्यम्)

• śākhā-mṛga-gaṇa-ākulam: crowded with troops of branch-dwelling animals (monkeys etc.)
• śākhā-mṛga-gaṇa-ākulam: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śākhā (प्रातिपदिक) + mṛga (प्रातिपदिक) + gaṇa (प्रातिपदिक) + ākula (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (शाखामृगाणां गणैः आकुलम्)

• puṣpa: flowered / with flowers
• puṣpa: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Noun
• Root: puṣpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; (पाठे विशेषणरूपेण ‘पुष्प-’ इति पूर्वपदवत्)

• padma-vana-upetam: endowed with lotus-groves
• padma-vana-upetam: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: padma (प्रातिपदिक) + vana (प्रातिपदिक) + upeta (कृदन्त, √i उप-√i ‘to go/attain’)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (पद्मवनैः उपेतम् = endowed with lotus-groves)

• sa-palvalam: with ponds/pools
• sa-palvalam: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sa (सह/सहित, उपसर्गवत्) + palvala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (पल्वलैः सहितम्)

• mahā-vanam: a great forest
• mahā-vanam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahā (प्रातिपदिक) + vana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; समासः—कर्मधारयः (महच्च तत् वनम्)

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A vast sacred forest at Prabhāsa: flowering trees everywhere, branch-roaming animals, lotus-groves, and many ponds and marshy pools shimmering amid thickets.

Characters & Entities

• Forest (mahā-vana)
• Lotus groves (padma-vana)
• Ponds/palvala

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred geography is celebrated through abundance and beauty—nature’s harmony becomes a sign of auspiciousness and merit-bearing terrain.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

A sanctified forest landscape associated with Raivata Udyāna in the Prabhāsa Khaṇḍa narrative.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it is a māhātmya-style descriptive praise of the landscape.