Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 2

Devanagari script

धर्मारण्येषु ये जाता ब्राह्मणाः शुद्धवंशजा । अष्टादशसहस्राश्च काजेशैश्च विनिर्मिताः

Transliteration

dharmāraṇyeṣu ye jātā brāhmaṇāḥ śuddhavaṃśajā | aṣṭādaśasahasrāśca kājeśaiśca vinirmitāḥ

Translation

Ces brāhmaṇas nés à Dharmāraṇya—de lignée pure—étaient au nombre de dix-huit mille, et furent établis/façonnés par les Kājeśas.

Word by Word

• dharma-āraṇyeṣu: in the Dharmāraṇya forests/region
• dharma-āraṇyeṣu: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dharma (प्रातिपदिक) + āraṇya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7), बहुवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (dharmasya āraṇyam)

• ye: who (those who)
• ye: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), बहुवचन; सम्बन्धबोधक (relative pronoun)

• jātāḥ: born
• jātāḥ: Kriyā (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √jan (जन् धातु) + kta (क्त)
• Form: कृदन्त (क्त-प्रत्ययान्त), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), बहुवचन; भूतकर्मणि/भूतभावे (born)

• brāhmaṇāḥ: Brahmins
• brāhmaṇāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brāhmaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), बहुवचन

• śuddha-vaṃśa-jāḥ: born of a pure lineage
• śuddha-vaṃśa-jāḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śuddha (प्रातिपदिक) + vaṃśa (प्रातिपदिक) + ja (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), बहुवचन; पञ्चमी-तत्पुरुषः (śuddhāt vaṃśāt jāḥ)

• aṣṭādaśa-sahasrāḥ: eighteen thousand
• aṣṭādaśa-sahasrāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: aṣṭādaśa (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक) + sahasra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), बहुवचन; द्विगु-समासः (aṣṭādaśa sahasrāṇi)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयार्थक (conjunction)

• kājeśaiḥ: by the Kājeśas (name/title)
• kājeśaiḥ: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kājeśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3), बहुवचन; करण/कर्तृ-सम्बन्ध (by Kājeśas)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयार्थक (conjunction)

• vinirmitāḥ: were created/formed
• vinirmitāḥ: Kriyā (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vi + nir + √mā (मा धातु/निर्मा) + kta (क्त)
• Form: कृदन्त (क्त-प्रत्ययान्त), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), बहुवचन; भूतकर्मणि (constructed/created)

Speaker

Vyāsa (contextual continuation)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Dharmāraṇya

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Yudhiṣṭhira (frame implied)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A panoramic depiction of Dharmāraṇya with many brāhmaṇas—some teaching, some performing agnihotra, some reciting Veda—suggesting an organized sacred settlement; a founding/establishing figure or group (‘Kājeśas’) is hinted as patrons/organizers.

Characters & Entities

• Dharmāraṇya
• Brāhmaṇas
• Kājeśa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred places are upheld by communities devoted to purity, learning, and dharmic continuity.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Dharmāraṇya is glorified through the depiction of its eminent brāhmaṇa community.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None directly; the verse provides sacred-historical context about the people of the region.