Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 59
तत्र स्थित्वा ससैन्यस्तु उवास निशि तां पुरीम् । श्रुत्वा तु निर्जनं क्षेत्रमुद्वसं च भयानकम्
tatra sthitvā sasainyastu uvāsa niśi tāṃ purīm | śrutvā tu nirjanaṃ kṣetramudvasaṃ ca bhayānakam
അവിടെ സൈന്യത്തോടുകൂടെ തങ്ങി, ആ രാത്രി ആ നഗരത്തിൽ പാർത്തു; എന്നാൽ ആ ക്ഷേത്രപ്രദേശം നിർജനവും ജനശൂന്യവും ഭയാനകവുമെന്നു കേട്ടു।
Narrator (Purāṇic narrator; contextually Sūta/Lomaharṣaṇa style narration)
Tirtha: धर्मारण्य
Type: kshetra
Scene: रात्रौ माण्डलिक-पुरे सैन्यसहितं रामः स्थितः; नगरजनैः कथ्यते—धर्मारण्यं निर्जनम्, उद्वसं, भयानकम्। दीप-प्रकाशे चिन्ताकुल-जनमुखाः, दूरं कृष्ण-वनच्छाया।
FAQs
Holy places may appear daunting or desolate outwardly; the seeker is tested before entering a powerful kṣetra.
Dharmāraṇya kṣetra is implied—the sacred region reputed to be deserted and formidable.
None; the verse sets the atmosphere of the kṣetra as a threshold of trial.