Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 104

Devanagari script

इत्थमाचारधर्मोयं धर्मारण्यनिवासिनाम् । श्रुतिस्मृत्युक्तधर्मोऽयं युधिष्ठिर निवेदितः

Transliteration

itthamācāradharmoyaṃ dharmāraṇyanivāsinām | śrutismṛtyuktadharmo'yaṃ yudhiṣṭhira niveditaḥ

Translation

Ainsi a été énoncé le code de conduite des habitants de Dharmāraṇya ; ce dharma, fondé sur la Śruti et la Smṛti, t’a été déclaré, ô Yudhiṣṭhira.

Word by Word

• ittham: thus/in this manner
• ittham: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ittham (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रकारः: क्रियाविशेषण (adverb)

• ācāra-dharmaḥ: customary duty / conduct-based dharma
• ācāra-dharmaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ācāra (प्रातिपदिक) + dharma (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-एकवचन (Nominative singular); तत्पुरुष (determinative: ‘dharma of conduct’)

• ayam: this
• ayam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: idam (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-एकवचन (Nominative singular); सर्वनाम (pronoun)

• dharmāraṇya-nivāsinām: of the residents of Dharmāraṇya
• dharmāraṇya-nivāsinām: Sambandha (Genitive/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dharmāraṇya (प्रातिपदिक) + nivāsin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-बहुवचन (Genitive plural); तत्पुरुष (locative-determinative sense: ‘residents of Dharmāraṇya’)

• śruti-smṛti-ukta-dharmaḥ: dharma taught in śruti and smṛti
• śruti-smṛti-ukta-dharmaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śruti (प्रातिपदिक) + smṛti (प्रातिपदिक) + ukta (कृदन्त; √vac वच् ‘to say’) + dharma (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-एकवचन (Nominative singular); बहुपद-तत्पुरुष: ‘dharma stated in śruti and smṛti’

• ayam: this
• ayam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: idam (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-एकवचन (Nominative singular); सर्वनाम (pronoun)

• yudhiṣṭhira: O Yudhiṣṭhira
• yudhiṣṭhira: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yudhiṣṭhira (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-एकवचन (Vocative singular)

• niveditaḥ: has been presented/told
• niveditaḥ: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: nivedita (कृदन्त; √nived/√vid ‘to inform/submit’)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (Past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-एकवचन (Nominative singular); कर्मणि प्रयोग-सूचक (passive sense: ‘has been presented/told’)

Speaker

Narratorial voice (contextually: Vyāsa addressing Yudhiṣṭhira)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Dharmāraṇya

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Yudhiṣṭhira

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A teaching scene: a sage formally concluding an instruction to Yudhiṣṭhira, with palm-leaf manuscripts symbolizing Śruti and Smṛti; Dharmāraṇya’s forest backdrop conveys sacred order.

Characters & Entities

• Dharmāraṇya
• Yudhiṣṭhira
• Śruti
• Smṛti

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Local sacred customs (ācāra) are validated when aligned with Śruti and Smṛti, forming authoritative dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Dharmāraṇya, whose residents’ dharma is presented as exemplary and scripturally rooted.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No single ritual; it closes a teaching section by affirming scriptural grounding of conduct.