Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 52

Devanagari script

धर्मारण्ये कृतं रम्यं हरेण च्छेदितं पुरा । तस्मै दत्त्वा वरं विष्णुर्जगामादर्शनं ततः

Transliteration

dharmāraṇye kṛtaṃ ramyaṃ hareṇa ccheditaṃ purā | tasmai dattvā varaṃ viṣṇurjagāmādarśanaṃ tataḥ

Translation

ധർമ്മാരണ്യത്തിൽ പൂർവ്വം ഹരി അവിടെ നിർമ്മിതമായ ആ മനോഹരമായതു (വസ്തു/ഉദ്യാനം) ഛേദിച്ചു. പിന്നെ അവനു വരം നൽകി വിഷ്ണു അദൃശനായി പോയി.

Word by Word

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

• कृतम्: made
• कृतम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु) + क्त (कृत्-प्रत्यय)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (क्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन — PPP, Neuter, Nom./Acc., Singular

• रम्यम्: beautiful/pleasant
• रम्यम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: रम्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन — Neuter, Nom./Acc., Singular; विशेषण (qualifying kṛtam)

• हरेण: by Hari (Viṣṇu)
• हरेण: Karana (Instrument/Agent in passive/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हरि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन — Masculine, Instrumental (3rd), Singular

• च्छेदितम्: cut off
• च्छेदितम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Verb
• Root: छिद् (धातु) + क्त (कृत्-प्रत्यय)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (क्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन — PPP, Neuter, Nom./Acc., Singular

• पुरा: formerly/once
• पुरा: Kala (Time/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुरा (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (temporal adverb)

• तस्मै: to him
• तस्मै: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी-विभक्ति, एकवचन — Dative (4th), Singular (to him/that)

• दत्त्वा: having given
• दत्त्वा: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दा (धातु) + त्वा (क्त्वा-प्रत्यय)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्ययकृदन्त (absolutive/gerund) — having given

• वरम्: a boon
• वरम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन — Masculine, Accusative (2nd), Singular

• विष्णुः: Viṣṇu
• विष्णुः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विष्णु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन — Masculine, Nominative (1st), Singular

• जगाम: went
• जगाम: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (परस्मैपद), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन — Perfect, 3rd person, Singular

• अदर्शनम्: to invisibility/out of sight
• अदर्शनम्: Gati (Goal/गति)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अदर्शन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन — Neuter, Accusative (2nd), Singular; गत्यर्थक-क्रियायाः लक्ष्य (to a state)

• ततः: then/thereupon
• ततः: Kala (Sequence/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: ततस्-शब्दः, अव्यय; क्रम/अपादानार्थ (thereupon/from that)

Speaker

Purāṇic narrator

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Dharmāraṇya (Hari-līlā spot)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Hari appears in the forest, decisively cuts down a charmingly made object/structure, then raises a hand in blessing to grant a boon and fades from view, leaving devotees awed.

Characters & Entities

• Dharmāraṇya
• Hari (Viṣṇu)
• Boon (Vara)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Divine actions in a sacred place can be corrective and grace-giving; the Lord grants boons and then remains beyond ordinary perception.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Dharmāraṇya is explicitly named as the locus of the divine episode.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit prescription; the verse narrates the tīrtha-associated event and the granting of a boon.