Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 7

Devanagari script

श्वापदैर्विविधाकारैः कन्दरै र्गह्वरैस्तथा । सुरासुरगणैः सिद्धैर्यक्षगन्धर्वपन्नगैः

Transliteration

śvāpadairvividhākāraiḥ kandarai rgahvaraistathā | surāsuragaṇaiḥ siddhairyakṣagandharvapannagaiḥ

Translation

其间有形貌各异的猛兽，又有洞窟与幽深峡谷；诸天与阿修罗之众、成就者（悉地者）、以及夜叉、乾闼婆与那伽，皆常来往其处。

Word by Word

• श्वापदैः: with wild beasts/predators
• श्वापदैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्वापद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (करण), बहुवचन — Masculine, Instrumental (3rd), Plural

• विविधाकारैः: of various forms
• विविधाकारैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: विविध (प्रातिपदिक) + आकार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (विविधः आकारः यस्य/येषाम्), पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (करण), बहुवचन — Tatpurusha compound, Masculine, Instrumental (3rd), Plural; विशेषण

• कन्दरैः: with caves
• कन्दरैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कन्दर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (करण), बहुवचन — Masculine, Instrumental (3rd), Plural

• गह्वरैः: with deep ravines/chasms
• गह्वरैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गह्वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (करण), बहुवचन — Neuter, Instrumental (3rd), Plural

• तथा: likewise
• तथा: Sambandha (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: क्रियाविशेषण (adverb: likewise)

• सुरासुरगणैः: with hosts of gods and demons
• सुरासुरगणैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सुर (प्रातिपदिक) + असुर (प्रातिपदिक) + गण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (सुराश्च असुराश्च तेषां गणाः), पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (करण), बहुवचन — Tatpurusha compound, Masculine, Instrumental (3rd), Plural

• सिद्धैः: with siddhas (perfected beings)
• सिद्धैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सिद्ध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (करण), बहुवचन — Masculine, Instrumental (3rd), Plural

• यक्षगन्धर्वपन्नगैः: with yakṣas, gandharvas, and serpents
• यक्षगन्धर्वपन्नगैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यक्ष (प्रातिपदिक) + गन्धर्व (प्रातिपदिक) + पन्नग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: द्वन्द्व-समास (यक्षाः+गन्धर्वाः+पन्नगाः), पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (करण), बहुवचन — Dvandva compound, Masculine, Instrumental (3rd), Plural

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva) (continued narration)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra (Devikā-taṭa vicinity)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Devī/Umā (‘mahādevi’ addressed)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A rugged sacred landscape: dark caves and deep ravines opening into a luminous riverbank; wild beasts at the periphery; in the sky and among trees appear siddhas, yakṣas, gandharvas, and nāgas, indicating a charged, otherworldly sanctuary.

Characters & Entities

• Śvāpada
• Kandara (caves)
• Gahvara (ravines)
• Suras
• Asuras
• Siddhas
• Yakṣas
• Gandharvas
• Pannagas (Nāgas)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

A true kṣetra is depicted as a meeting-ground of worlds—human, natural, and divine—indicating exceptional sanctity and spiritual potency.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Devikā/Kāmika kṣetra (near Ṛṣi-tīrtha) within the Prabhāsa-kṣetra-māhātmya.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None in this verse; it expands the māhātmya through topography (caves/ravines) and the presence of celestial and semi-celestial beings.