Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 44

Devanagari script

धर्मारण्ये समागत्य तप स्तेपे सुदुष्करम् । छायापुत्रं शनिं दृष्ट्वा यमं चान्यं च भूपते

Transliteration

dharmāraṇye samāgatya tapa stepe suduṣkaram | chāyāputraṃ śaniṃ dṛṣṭvā yamaṃ cānyaṃ ca bhūpate

Translation

ധർമാരണ്യത്തിൽ എത്തി അവൾ അത്യന്തം ദുഷ്കരമായ തപസ്സ് അനുഷ്ഠിച്ചു। ഹേ രാജാവേ! ഛായാപുത്രനായ ശനിയെയും, യമനെയും മറ്റൊരു (സന്താനത്തെയും) കണ്ടപ്പോൾ (കാര്യം വ്യക്തമായി)।

Word by Word

• धर्मारण्ये: in Dharmāraṇya (the forest of Dharma)
• धर्मारण्ये: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धर्म (प्रातिपदिक) + अरण्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समासः—धर्मस्य अरण्यम् (धर्मारण्य) षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः; नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• समागत्य: having arrived
• समागत्य: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: गम् (धातु) + सम्-आ-उपसर्गौ + ल्यप् (अव्ययकृदन्त)
• Form: अव्ययकृदन्त (gerund), ‘having come/arrived’

• तपः: austerity, penance
• तपः: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तपस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• तेपे: performed (austerity)
• तेपे: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: तप् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect/परोक्षभूत), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• सुदुष्करम्: very difficult
• सुदुष्करम्: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सु (उपसर्ग/अव्यय) + दुष्कर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समासः—सु + दुष्कर (अतिदुष्कर) उपपद-प्रायः/कर्मधारयः; नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; तपः इति विशेषणम्

• छायापुत्रम्: Chāyā’s son
• छायापुत्रम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: छाया (प्रातिपदिक) + पुत्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समासः—छायायाः पुत्रः (son of Chāyā) षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः; पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• शनिम्: Śani (Saturn)
• शनिम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शनि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; छायापुत्रम् इत्यस्य अप्पोजिशन

• दृष्ट्वा: having seen
• दृष्ट्वा: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: दृश् (धातु) + क्त्वा (अव्ययकृदन्त)
• Form: अव्ययकृदन्त (क्त्वान्त/gerund), ‘having seen’

• यमम्: Yama
• यमम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• च: and
• च: Connector (समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• अन्यम्: another
• अन्यम्: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अन्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; यमम् इत्यस्य सह-समुच्चितः (another one)

• च: and
• च: Connector (समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• भूपते: O king
• भूपते: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भूपति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative), एकवचन

Speaker

Unknown (narrative voice within Dharmāraṇya Khaṇḍa; likely Sūta narrating to sages)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Dharmāraṇya

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: King (bhūpate)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: In a dense sacred forest, Saṃjñā performs harsh austerities; nearby stand Śani (dark-hued, stern), Yama (regal, dharma-bearing), and another offspring, their presence making the truth unmistakable to the onlooker.

Characters & Entities

• Dharmāraṇya
• Chāyā
• Śani
• Yama

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

A sacred place intensifies spiritual effort; tapas performed in a tīrtha-like forest bears decisive fruit and reveals hidden truths.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Dharmāraṇya is highlighted as the sanctified locus for severe austerities and divine outcomes.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Tapas (austerity) is mentioned generally, without specifying a particular vrata, dāna, snāna, or japa.