Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 39

Devanagari script

वैतरण्याः परं पारे पंचयोजनमायतम् । असिपत्रवनंनाम पापलोकस्य दुःखदम्

Transliteration

vaitaraṇyāḥ paraṃ pāre paṃcayojanamāyatam | asipatravanaṃnāma pāpalokasya duḥkhadam

Translation

Am fernen Ufer jenseits der Vaitaraṇī liegt ein Gebiet von fünf Yojanas Ausdehnung, genannt Asipatravana, der „Schwertblätterwald“, ein Ort des Leids für die Welt der Sünder.

Word by Word

• वैतरण्याः: of the Vaitaraṇī (river)
• वैतरण्याः: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वैतरणी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/6th), एकवचन (Singular)

• परम्: beyond, further
• परम्: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial modifier/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रियाविशेषण (adverb)

• पारे: on the far bank
• पारे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन

• पञ्चयोजनम्: five-yojana (in extent)
• पञ्चयोजनम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पञ्च + योजन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Nom./Acc. 1st/2nd), एकवचन; द्विगु-समास (measure)

• आयतम्: extended, long
• आयतम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: आयत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण

• असिपत्रवनम्: the forest of sword-leaves
• असिपत्रवनम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: असि + पत्र + वन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (असिपत्राणां वनम्)

• नाम: named
• नाम: Sambandha (Appositional marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नाम (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; नाम-निर्देशक (quotative/नामार्थक)

• पापलोकस्य: of the sinful world (hell-region)
• पापलोकस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पापलोक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्मधारय (पापः लोकः)

• दुःखदम्: giving suffering
• दुःखदम्: Visheshana (Predicate adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दुःखद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; उपपद-तत्पुरुष (दुःखं ददाति)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Asipatravana (naraka-kṣetra)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A bleak forest where leaves are sword-blades; the ground is harsh; sinners wander in anguish; the horizon shows the river behind and a vast expanse ahead measured as ‘five yojanas’.

Characters & Entities

• Vaitaraṇī
• Asipatravana

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The Purāṇa warns that sinful living leads to terrifying post-death regions, urging adherence to dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

This verse describes afterlife topography (Vaitaraṇī and Asipatravana), not a terrestrial pilgrimage site.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No specific rite is stated in this verse; it introduces a punitive realm associated with pāpa.