Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 39

Devanagari script

वैतरण्याः परं पारे पंचयोजनमायतम् । असिपत्रवनंनाम पापलोकस्य दुःखदम्

Transliteration

vaitaraṇyāḥ paraṃ pāre paṃcayojanamāyatam | asipatravanaṃnāma pāpalokasya duḥkhadam

Translation

Sur la rive lointaine, au-delà de la Vaitaraṇī, s’étend une contrée de cinq yojanas, nommée Asipatravana, la « Forêt aux feuilles-épées », lieu de souffrance pour le monde des pécheurs.

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.