Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 3

Devanagari script

व्यास उवाच । शृणु वत्स प्रवक्ष्यामि धर्म्मारण्ये नृपोत्तम । एकदात्र तपस्तप्तं विष्णुनाऽमिततेजसा

Transliteration

vyāsa uvāca | śṛṇu vatsa pravakṣyāmi dharmmāraṇye nṛpottama | ekadātra tapastaptaṃ viṣṇunā'mitatejasā

Translation

ವ್ಯಾಸನು ಹೇಳಿದರು—ವತ್ಸ, ಕೇಳು; ಹೇ ನೃಪೋತ್ತಮ, ನಾನು ಹೇಳುತ್ತೇನೆ. ಧರ್ಮ್ಮಾರಣ್ಯದಲ್ಲಿ ಒಮ್ಮೆ ಅಮಿತ ತೇಜಸ್ಸಿನ ವಿಷ್ಣುವು ತಪಸ್ಸು ಮಾಡಿದನು.

Word by Word

• व्यासः: Vyāsa
• व्यासः: Karta (Speaker/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: व्यास (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• शृणु: listen
• शृणु: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: श्रु (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (Imperative), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd person), एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• वत्स: O child; dear one
• वत्स: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वत्स (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative), एकवचन

• प्रवक्ष्यामि: I shall tell
• प्रवक्ष्यामि: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु) + प्र (उपसर्ग)
• Form: लृट् (Simple Future), उत्तमपुरुष (1st person), एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• धर्म्मारण्ये: in Dharmāraṇya (forest of dharma)
• धर्म्मारण्ये: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धर्म + अरण्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (धर्मस्य अरण्यम्)

• नृपोत्तम: O best of kings
• नृपोत्तम: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नृप + उत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative), एकवचन; कर्मधारय (उत्तमः नृपः)

• एकदा: once
• एकदा: Kala (Time/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एकदा (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक अव्यय (adverb of time)

• अत्र: here
• अत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक अव्यय (adverb of place)

• तपः: austerity; penance
• तपः: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तपस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• तप्तम्: performed; undergone
• तप्तम्: Kriya (Predicate participle/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: तप् (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त प्रत्यय)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (Past Passive Participle/क्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; 'तपः' इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

• विष्णुना: by Viṣṇu
• विष्णुना: Karana (Agent in passive/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विष्णु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन

• अमिततेजसा: of immeasurable splendor
• अमिततेजसा: Karana (Qualifier of agent/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अमित + तेजस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन; कर्मधारय (अमितं तेजः यस्य) विशेषणरूपेण 'विष्णुना' इत्यस्य

Speaker

Vyāsa

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Dharmāraṇya

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Nṛpottama (king; unnamed here)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Vyāsa addresses a king as ‘vatṣa’, beginning the account: in Dharmāraṇya, Viṣṇu of immeasurable splendor once performed austerity.

Characters & Entities

• Vyāsa
• Viṣṇu
• Dharmāraṇya
• Nṛpottama (Yudhiṣṭhira)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred places are sanctified by divine tapas; hearing their history is part of tīrtha-māhātmya devotion.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Dharmāraṇya, introduced as the locus of Viṣṇu’s austerities.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No direct prescription; the verse introduces tapas as the sanctifying act.