Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 28
अर्थो धर्मश्च कामश्च हर्षो द्वेषस्तमो दमः । आयांति तस्यां सहिता गंधर्वाप्सरसां गणाः
artho dharmaśca kāmaśca harṣo dveṣastamo damaḥ | āyāṃti tasyāṃ sahitā gaṃdharvāpsarasāṃ gaṇāḥ
S’y tenaient Artha (la richesse), Dharma et Kāma (le désir) ; la joie et la haine, les ténèbres et la maîtrise de soi. Et en ce lieu arrivèrent ensemble les troupes de Gandharvas et d’Apsaras.
Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) narrating to the sages (deduced from Purāṇic frame; exact speaker not in snippet)
Tirtha: Dharmāraṇya
Type: kshetra
Scene: A vibrant sacred clearing where abstract principles appear as subtle deities—Artha with a treasure-vessel, Dharma with a staff and scales, Kāma with a flower-bow—while Harṣa and Dveṣa hover as contrasting expressions; Tamaḥ as a dark veil and Dama as a calm ascetic figure. Gandharvas play vīṇā and flutes; Apsarases dance at the periphery without disturbing the central sanctity.
FAQs
The verse acknowledges the full spectrum of human aims and emotions, implying that dharma requires restraint and right orientation even amid desire and aversion.
Dharmāraṇya is the setting; the verse highlights the grandeur of the assembly attended by celestial hosts.
None; it is descriptive, noting the presence of principles and celestial beings.