Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 17

Devanagari script

वृन्दावनं वनं चैकं द्वितीयं खांडवं वनम् । ख्यातं द्वैतवनं चान्यत्तृतीयं धरणीतले

Transliteration

vṛndāvanaṃ vanaṃ caikaṃ dvitīyaṃ khāṃḍavaṃ vanam | khyātaṃ dvaitavanaṃ cānyattṛtīyaṃ dharaṇītale

Translation

വൃന്ദാവനം ഒരു (ശ്രേഷ്ഠ) പുണ്യവനം; രണ്ടാമത് ഖാണ്ഡവവനം; മൂന്നാമത്—ഭൂമിയിലും പ്രസിദ്ധമായ—ദ്വൈതവനം എന്ന പേരിൽ ഖ്യാതം।

Word by Word

• वृन्दावनम्: Vṛndāvana
• वृन्दावनम्: Karta-predicative (उद्देश्य/नाम)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वृन्दा (प्रातिपदिक) + वन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः: वृन्दायाः वनम् / वृन्दानाम् वनम्); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; वननाम

• वनम्: forest
• वनम्: Karta-predicative (समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• एकम्: the first/one
• एकम्: Karta-predicative (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: एक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; संख्याविशेषण

• द्वितीयम्: the second
• द्वितीयम्: Karta-predicative (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: द्वितीय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; क्रमवाचक

• खाण्डवम्: Khāṇḍava
• खाण्डवम्: Karta-predicative (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: खाण्डव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषण (proper-name adjective)

• वनम्: forest
• वनम्: Karta-predicative (समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• ख्यातम्: known as
• ख्यातम्: Karta-predicative (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ख्या (धातु) → ख्यात (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘ख्यात’ = प्रसिद्ध

• द्वैतवनम्: Dvaītavana (the ‘Dvaīta’ forest)
• द्वैतवनम्: Karta-predicative (उद्देश्य/नाम)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्वैत (प्रातिपदिक) + वन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय-समास (द्वैतं वनम्); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; वननाम

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• अन्यत्: another
• अन्यत्: Karta-predicative (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अन्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; सर्वनाम-प्राय (other/another)

• तृतीयम्: the third
• तृतीयम्: Karta-predicative (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तृतीय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; क्रमवाचक

• धरणीतले: on the surface of the earth
• धरणीतले: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धरणी (प्रातिपदिक) + तल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः: धरण्याः तलम्); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन

Speaker

Skanda (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Vṛndāvana–Khāṇḍava–Dvaitavana (vana-traya)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A sacred-forest triad: Vṛndāvana with kadamba trees, Yamunā, and hints of Kṛṣṇa’s flute; Khāṇḍava with a controlled sacrificial fire motif and Arjuna–Kṛṣṇa protecting the blaze; Dvaitavana with Pāṇḍavas in exile near a lake/woodland hermitage.

Characters & Entities

• Vṛndāvana
• Khāṇḍava Vana
• Dvaitavana

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Not only cities, but forests too are treated as sanctifying landscapes where dharma and divine presence are especially accessible.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Three celebrated forests: Vṛndāvana, Khāṇḍava Vana, and Dvaitavana.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No direct prescription here; it enumerates the principal sacred forests that will be linked with snāna-merit in the surrounding verses.