Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 69

Devanagari script

विवाहं तत्र कुर्वंतो मिलितास्ते द्विजोत्तमाः । कोटिकन्याकुलं तत्र एकत्रासीन्महोत्सवे । धर्मारण्ये महाप्राज्ञ सत्यं सत्यं वदाम्यहम्

Transliteration

vivāhaṃ tatra kurvaṃto militāste dvijottamāḥ | koṭikanyākulaṃ tatra ekatrāsīnmahotsave | dharmāraṇye mahāprājña satyaṃ satyaṃ vadāmyaham

Translation

เมื่อเหล่าทวิชผู้ประเสริฐมาชุมนุมเพื่อประกอบพิธีวิวาหะ ณ ที่นั้น ในมหาอุตสวะแห่งธรรมารัณยะ ณ ที่เดียวมีหมู่กุมารีนับโกฏิ โอ มหาปราชญ์ ข้าพเจ้ากล่าวความจริง ความจริงแท้

Word by Word

• विवाहम्: marriage ceremony
• विवाहम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विवाह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गः, द्वितीया-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; कर्म

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देश-अव्ययम् (locative adverb: there)

• कुर्वन्तः: doing/performing
• कुर्वन्तः: Karta (Agent-participle/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √कृ (धातु) + शतृ-प्रत्यय (वर्तमान कृदन्त)
• Form: शतृ-प्रत्ययान्त वर्तमान-कर्तरि कृदन्तः; पुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, बहुवचनम्; 'ते द्विजोत्तमाः' इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

• मिलिताः: assembled
• मिलिताः: Karta (Qualifier/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मिलित (कृदन्त; √मिल्/√मिल् (धातु) क्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, बहुवचनम्; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त; 'ते द्विजोत्तमाः' इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

• ते: those
• ते: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, बहुवचनम्

• द्विजोत्तमाः: best of the twice-born (Brahmins)
• द्विजोत्तमाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्विज-उत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, बहुवचनम्

• कोटिकन्याकुलम्: crowded with crores of maidens
• कोटिकन्याकुलम्: Karta (Predicate qualifier/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कोटि-कन्या-आकुल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गः, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; विशेषणम्—(अभिप्रेतम्) 'महोत्सवः/समागमः'

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देश-अव्ययम्

• एकत्र: in one place/together
• एकत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एकत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देश-अव्ययम् (together/in one place)

• आसीत्: was
• आसीत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √अस् (धातु)
• Form: लङ्-लकारः (Imperfect), प्रथम-पुरुषः, एकवचनम्, परस्मैपदम्

• महोत्सवे: at the great festival
• महोत्सवे: Adhikarana (Context/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महा-उत्सव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गः, सप्तमी-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; सन्दर्भाधिकरणम्

• धर्मारण्ये: in Dharmāraṇya
• धर्मारण्ये: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धर्म-अरण्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गः, सप्तमी-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्

• महाप्राज्ञ: O greatly wise one
• महाप्राज्ञ: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महा-प्राज्ञ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गः, सम्बोधन-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्

• सत्यम्: truth
• सत्यम्: Karma (Manner/कर्मवत्)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सत्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गः, द्वितीया-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; क्रियाविशेषणवत् (accusative of manner/emphasis)

• सत्यम्: truly
• सत्यम्: Karma (Manner/कर्मवत्)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सत्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गः, द्वितीया-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; पुनरुक्ति-बलम् (emphatic repetition)

• वदामि: I say
• वदामि: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √वद् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकारः (Present), उत्तम-पुरुषः (1st), एकवचनम्, परस्मैपदम्

• अहम्: I
• अहम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अहम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; उत्तमपुरुष-सर्वनाम

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) [deduced; emphatic ‘satyaṃ satyaṃ vadāmyaham’ is typical narrator emphasis]

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Dharmāraṇya

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: mahāprajña (addressed) / Bhārata-context

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A panoramic festival scene in Dharmāraṇya: rows of marriage pavilions, priests chanting, lamps and banners, and an immense assembly of maidens and families; the narrator’s emphatic ‘truth, truth’ frames the spectacle.

Characters & Entities

• Dharmāraṇya
• dvijottamāḥ (brāhmaṇas)
• mahotsava (great festival)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The tīrtha’s greatness is shown through extraordinary auspicious gatherings, where dharmic sacraments flourish on a vast scale.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Dharmāraṇya, depicted as a place capable of hosting immense sacred assemblies and rites.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Vivāha-saṃskāra (marriage sacrament) is explicitly mentioned as being performed there during a mahotsava.