Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 20

Devanagari script

अत्रिं दृष्ट्वा महात्मानं दण्डकारण्यमागमत । रक्षोगणवधारम्भे विराधे विनिपातिते

Transliteration

atriṃ dṛṣṭvā mahātmānaṃ daṇḍakāraṇyamāgamata | rakṣogaṇavadhārambhe virādhe vinipātite

Translation

মহাত্মা অত্রিকে দর্শন করে (রাম) দণ্ডকারণ্যে গমন করলেন। রাক্ষসদলের বধ আরম্ভ হলে বিরাধ নিহত হল।

Word by Word

• अत्रिम्: Atri
• अत्रिम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अत्रि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; कर्म

• दृष्ट्वा: having seen
• दृष्ट्वा: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (gerund) ‘having seen’

• महात्मानम्: great-souled
• महात्मानम्: Karma (Object-qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महात्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (अत्रिम्)

• दण्डकारण्यम्: to the Daṇḍaka forest
• दण्डकारण्यम्: Karma (Goal/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दण्डक-अरण्य (प्रातिपदिक; दण्डक + अरण्य)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; गत्यर्थे कर्म (destination)

• आगमत: went/came
• आगमत: Kriyā (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ-गम् (धातु)
• Form: लङ् (अनद्यतनभूत/Imperfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• रक्षोगणवधारम्भे: at the start of the killing of the demon hordes
• रक्षोगणवधारम्भे: Adhikaraṇa (Location/Context)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रक्षस्-गण-वध-आरम्भ (प्रातिपदिक; रक्षस् + गण + वध + आरम्भ)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन; अधिकरणम् (in/at the beginning of the slaughter of the demon-hosts)

• विराधे: in (the case of) Virādha
• विराधे: Adhikaraṇa (Context)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विराध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन; अधिकरण/सप्तमी-सम्बन्ध (with regard to Virādha)

• विनिपातिते: when (he was) felled/slain
• विनिपातिते: Kāla-adhikaraṇa (Temporal absolute)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वि-नि-पत् (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past participle) ‘विनिपातित’; पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसक, सप्तमी, एकवचन; सति-सप्तमी (when/after he was struck down)

Speaker

Narrator (Purāṇic voice; likely Sūta/Lomaharṣaṇa)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Daṇḍakāraṇya

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Rājan (implied)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Rāma, after paying respects to sage Atri, enters the dense Daṇḍaka forest; the ominous Virādha confronts them; the moment of the rakṣasa’s fall marks the beginning of cleansing the forest of terror.

Characters & Entities

• Atri
• Daṇḍakāraṇya
• Virādha
• Rāma (implied)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Protecting sages and sacred order is a core of kṣatriya-dharma; dharma is defended by removing violent obstruction.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Daṇḍakāraṇya is evoked as a sacred forest-region where dharma is preserved and rishis are protected.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it narrates dharma-protection through righteous action.