Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 48

Devanagari script

अत्राभवन्महाक्षेत्रं पुण्यं पापप्रणाशनम् । विधिविष्णुमयं चैतद्भवत्वेतन्न संशयः

Transliteration

atrābhavanmahākṣetraṃ puṇyaṃ pāpapraṇāśanam | vidhiviṣṇumayaṃ caitadbhavatvetanna saṃśayaḥ

Translation

“ณ ที่นี้ขอให้บังเกิดมหาเขตระอันศักดิ์สิทธิ์ เป็นแดนบุญทำลายบาป และขอให้สถานที่นี้แผ่ซ่านด้วยพระวิธิ (พรหมา) และพระวิษณุ—ปราศจากข้อสงสัย”

Word by Word

• atra: here
• atra: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atra (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक-अव्यय (here)

• abhavat: became/was
• abhavat: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √bhū (धातु)
• Form: लङ्-लकार (Imperfect/Past), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• mahā-kṣetram: a great sacred field/place
• mahā-kṣetram: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahā (प्रातिपदिक) + kṣetra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्मधारयः (महच्च तत् क्षेत्रम्)

• puṇyam: holy/meritorious
• puṇyam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: puṇya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (महाक्षेत्रम्)

• pāpa-praṇāśanam: destroyer of sins
• pāpa-praṇāśanam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pāpa (प्रातिपदिक) + praṇāśana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (पापस्य प्रणाशनम्); विशेषणम् (महाक्षेत्रम्)

• vidhi-viṣṇu-mayam: filled with/consisting of Brahmā and Viṣṇu
• vidhi-viṣṇu-mayam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vidhi (प्रातिपदिक) + viṣṇu (प्रातिपदिक) + maya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (विधिविष्णुभ्यां मयम्/विधिविष्णुमयम्); विशेषणम् (एतत्/क्षेत्रम्)

• ca: and
• ca: Avyaya (Conjunction/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयार्थक-निपात (and)

• etat: this
• etat: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: etad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सर्वनाम (this)

• bhavatu: let it be
• bhavatu: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √bhū (धातु)
• Form: लोट्-लकार (Imperative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• etat: this (so)
• etat: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: etad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सर्वनाम (this)

• na: no/not
• na: Avyaya (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निषेध-निपात (not/no)

• saṃśayaḥ: doubt
• saṃśayaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: saṃśaya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

Speaker

Janārdana (Viṣṇu)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Dharmāraṇyaka Mahākṣetra (implied)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A sacred landscape transforms: a forest clearing becomes luminous, marked by divine signs (lotuses, rays, auspicious symbols). Brahmā and Viṣṇu’s presences are shown as overlapping halos or twin manifestations blessing the ground.

Characters & Entities

• Dharmāraṇya
• Kṣetra
• Viṣṇu
• Brahmā (Vidhi)
• Pāpa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

A place becomes a mahākṣetra by divine sanction, and such sanctified geography is described as inherently sin-destroying.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Dharmāraṇya is proclaimed as a mahākṣetra—holy and pāpa-praṇāśana (sin-destroying).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No specific rite is stated; the verse establishes the site’s inherent sanctity and merit.