Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 5

Devanagari script

ब्रह्मोवाच । मया हि शंकरेणैव विष्णुना हि तथा पुरा । यमस्य तपसा तुष्टैर्धर्मारण्यं विनिर्मितम्

Transliteration

brahmovāca | mayā hi śaṃkareṇaiva viṣṇunā hi tathā purā | yamasya tapasā tuṣṭairdharmāraṇyaṃ vinirmitam

Translation

ಬ್ರಹ್ಮನು ಹೇಳಿದರು—ಪೂರ್ವಕಾಲದಲ್ಲಿ ನಾನು, ಶಂಕರನೂ ವಿಷ್ಣುವೂ ಸಹಿತ, ಯಮನ ತಪಸ್ಸಿನಿಂದ ತೃಪ್ತರಾಗಿ ‘ಧರ್ಮಾರಣ್ಯ’ವೆಂಬ ಪವಿತ್ರ ವನವನ್ನು ನಿರ್ಮಿಸಿದೆವು।

Word by Word

• ब्रह्मा: Brahmā
• ब्रह्मा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; सम्बोधन-प्रस्तावना (speaker tag)

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

• मया: by me
• मया: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तमपुरुष-सर्वनाम, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन

• हि: indeed
• हि: Sambandha/Discourse particle
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle/emphasis)

• शंकरेण: by Śaṅkara (Śiva)
• शंकरेण: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शंकर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन

• एव: alone/indeed
• एव: Sambandha/Discourse particle
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (restrictive particle)

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

• हि: indeed
• हि: Sambandha/Discourse particle
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle/emphasis)

• तथा: thus/likewise
• तथा: Kriya-visheshaṇa (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: क्रियाविशेषण (adverb)

• पुरा: formerly
• पुरा: Kāla-adhikaraṇa (Time)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुरा (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (temporal adverb)

• यमस्य: of Yama
• यमस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• तपसा: by austerity
• तपसा: Hetu/Karana (Cause/Instrument)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तपस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन

• तुष्टैः: being pleased/satisfied (by them)
• तुष्टैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तुष्ट (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; तुष् धातोः क्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle)

• धर्मारण्यं: the Dharma-forest (Dharmāraṇya)
• धर्मारण्यं: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धर्म + अरण्य (प्रातिपदिके; समास)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (धर्मस्य अरण्यम्)

• विनिर्मितम्: was constructed/created
• विनिर्मितम्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वि-निर्मा (धातु) → विनिर्मित (कृदन्त; क्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त; नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; कर्मणि प्रयोगार्थे ‘निर्मितम्’ = ‘was constructed’

Speaker

Brahmā

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Dharmāraṇya

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Devas (gods)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Brahmā speaks in a divine assembly, recalling how he, Śaṅkara, and Viṣṇu manifested Dharmāraṇya after being pleased by Yama’s austerities; the forest appears as a luminous, newly-consecrated grove.

Characters & Entities

• Brahmā
• Śaṅkara (Śiva)
• Viṣṇu
• Yama
• Dharmāraṇya

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

A holy place can arise from tapas; divine grace responds to sincere austerity and establishes enduring centers of dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Dharmāraṇya, the sacred forest established through the pleasure of Brahmā, Śiva, and Viṣṇu.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No direct ritual is prescribed here; the verse explains the sacred origin (utpatti) of Dharmāraṇya.