Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 74
राजोवाच । ब्रह्मादीनां परं क्षेत्रं धर्मारण्यमनुत्तमम् । ब्रह्मविष्णु महेशाद्या नेदानीमत्र संति ते
rājovāca | brahmādīnāṃ paraṃ kṣetraṃ dharmāraṇyamanuttamam | brahmaviṣṇu maheśādyā nedānīmatra saṃti te
राजा म्हणाला—धर्मारण्य हे ब्रह्मा इत्यादींचे परम, अनुपम पुण्यक्षेत्र आहे; तरीही ब्रह्मा, विष्णु, महेश वगैरे आता येथे नाहीत।
King (Rājā)
Tirtha: Dharmāraṇya
Type: kshetra
Scene: A king in a forest-kshetra gestures toward empty sacred space—altars, ancient trees, and a quiet clearing—questioning where Brahmā, Viṣṇu, and Maheśa are; brāhmaṇas stand composed, ready to answer.
FAQs
A place can be intrinsically holy (kṣetra-māhātmya) even when divine manifestations are not visibly present; faith and dharma sustain sacredness.
Dharmāraṇya is explicitly praised as anuttama-kṣetra, a foremost sacred region.
None in this verse; it functions as kṣetra-stuti (praise of the sacred region).