Shloka 5

Invocation and the Naimiṣa Assembly: Sūta’s Arrival and the Request to Recount the Padma Purāṇa

Devanagari script

धर्म्मारण्यरता ये च दंडकारण्यवासिनः । जंबूमार्गरता ये च ये च सत्यनिवासिनः

Transliteration

dharmmāraṇyaratā ye ca daṃḍakāraṇyavāsinaḥ | jaṃbūmārgaratā ye ca ye ca satyanivāsinaḥ

Translation

Dan ada yang bersukacita di rimba bernama Dharmāraṇya; ada yang tinggal di rimba Daṇḍaka; ada yang tekun pada Jambū-mārga; dan ada yang berdiam dalam Satya—

Word by Word

• धर्मारण्यरताः: devoted to the forest of Dharma
• धर्मारण्यरताः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: धर्म + अरण्य + रत (प्रातिपदिक; रत = कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक from √रम्)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; विशेषण (those devoted to the Dharma-forest)

• ये: who
• ये: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक सर्वनाम (relative pronoun)

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

• दण्डकारण्यवासिनः: dwellers in the Daṇḍaka forest
• दण्डकारण्यवासिनः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दण्डक + अरण्य + वासिन् (प्रातिपदिक; वासिन् = कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक from √वस्)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; ‘दण्डकारण्ये वसन्ति’ इति (inhabitants of Daṇḍaka forest)

• जम्बूमार्गरताः: devoted to the Jambū route
• जम्बूमार्गरताः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: जम्बू + मार्ग + रत (प्रातिपदिक; रत = कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक from √रम्)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; विशेषण (devoted to the Jambū-path/route)

• ये: who
• ये: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक सर्वनाम

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

• ये: who
• ये: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक सर्वनाम

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

• सत्यनिवासिनः: dwellers in truth
• सत्यनिवासिनः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सत्य + निवासिन् (प्रातिपदिक; निवासिन् = कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक from √वस् with नि-)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; ‘सत्ये निवसन्ति’ इति (abiders in truth)

Speaker

Unspecified (context-dependent; Svarga-khaṇḍa dialogues commonly occur within a narrated conversation, but the speaker is not identifiable from this single verse alone).

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: adbhuta

Secondary Rasa: shanta

Geographic Context

Type: forest

Sandhi Resolution Notes

Sandhi Resolution Notes: धर्म्मारण्यरता→धर्मारण्यरताः (visarga/ending normalized); दंडकारण्यवासिनः→दण्डकारण्यवासिनः; जंबूमार्गरता→जम्बूमार्गरताः. All are nominative plural predicates coordinated by च with relative pronoun ये.

FAQs

What does this verse indicate about sacred geography in the Padma Purana?

It groups people by their association with named sacred landscapes—forests and regions—implying that particular places (āraṇyas/mārgas) are spiritually significant and form part of a larger sacred map described in the Svarga-khaṇḍa.

Does “satyanivāsinaḥ” mean a physical place or a moral quality?

It can be read both ways: literally as “those dwelling in Satya (a named realm/abode)” and ethically as “those abiding in truth,” a common Purāṇic ambiguity where geography and virtue mirror each other.

What ethical lesson is implied by listing these groups together?

The verse suggests that devotion to dharma—expressed through living in dharmic environments, undertaking sacred routes, or abiding in truth—marks communities of merit, regardless of their specific location.