Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 14

Devanagari script

महेश्वर उवाच । किं त्वया न श्रुतं देवि महादारुवनं महत् । बहुविप्रजनो यत्र गृहधर्मेण वर्तते

Transliteration

maheśvara uvāca | kiṃ tvayā na śrutaṃ devi mahādāruvanaṃ mahat | bahuviprajano yatra gṛhadharmeṇa vartate

Translation

महेश्वर उवाच—किं त्वया न श्रुतं देवि महादारुवनं महत्? बहुविप्रजनो यत्र गृहधर्मेण वर्तते॥

Word by Word

• महेश्वरः: Maheśvara (Great Lord)
• महेश्वरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महेश्वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समासः: कर्मधारय (महान् ईश्वरः); पुंलिङ्ग (masculine), प्रथमा (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (singular)

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (singular)

• किम्: what? (indeed)
• किम्: Prashna (Interrogative/प्रश्न)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: प्रश्नार्थक अव्यय (interrogative particle)

• त्वया: by you
• त्वया: Kartr-karana (Agent-instrument/कर्तृकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तमपुरुष-प्रयोगे (2nd person pronoun), तृतीया (Instrumental/3rd), एकवचन (singular)

• न: not
• न: Nishedha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक अव्यय (negation particle)

• श्रुतम्: heard
• श्रुतम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: श्रु (धातु)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (neuter), प्रथमा/द्वितीया (Nom/Acc), एकवचन (singular); क्त (PPP) from √श्रु ‘to hear’

• देवि: O goddess
• देवि: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देवी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (feminine), सम्बोधन (Vocative), एकवचन (singular)

• महादारुवनम्: the great Dāru-forest
• महादारुवनम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महा + दारु + वन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समासः: तत्पुरुष (महत् दारुवनम्); नपुंसकलिङ्ग (neuter), द्वितीया (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (singular)

• महत्: great
• महत्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (neuter), द्वितीया (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (singular); महादारुवनम् इति विशेषणम्

• बहुविप्रजनः: (a place) having many Brahmins
• बहुविप्रजनः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: बहु + विप्र + जन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समासः: बहुव्रीहि (बहवो विप्राः जनाः यस्मिन्/यत्र सः); पुंलिङ्ग (masculine), प्रथमा (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (singular)

• यत्र: where
• यत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक अव्यय (relative adverb: ‘where’)

• गृहधर्मेण: by/according to household duty
• गृहधर्मेण: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गृह + धर्म (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समासः: तत्पुरुष (गृहस्य धर्मः); पुंलिङ्ग (masculine), तृतीया (Instrumental/3rd), एकवचन (singular)

• वर्तते: lives, conducts oneself
• वर्तते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वृत् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (singular)

Speaker

Maheśvara (Śiva)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Mahādāruvana

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Śiva speaks calmly to Devī, gesturing toward a thriving forest-settlement: neat homes, yajña smoke rising, brāhmaṇas performing daily rites, children learning, cows grazing; the forest feels ordered and sacred.

Characters & Entities

• Maheśvara (Śiva)
• Devī (Umā)
• Mahādāruvana
• Brāhmaṇas
• Gṛhadharma

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Householder dharma, when lived rightly, is honored as a legitimate and powerful path within sacred geography.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Mahādāruvana—the great sacred forest/settlement described in the Revā Khaṇḍa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No single ritual is specified; the emphasis is on gṛhadharma—daily dhārmic conduct and duties of householders.