Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 50

Devanagari script

उद्वसं हि तदा जातं धर्मारण्यं च दुर्लभम् । भूषणं सर्वतीर्थानां कृतं लोहासुरेण तत्

Transliteration

udvasaṃ hi tadā jātaṃ dharmāraṇyaṃ ca durlabham | bhūṣaṇaṃ sarvatīrthānāṃ kṛtaṃ lohāsureṇa tat

Translation

ครั้งนั้นธรรมารัณยะก็รกร้างและเข้าถึงได้ยากยิ่ง สถานอันเป็นดุจเครื่องประดับแห่งบรรดาตีรถะทั้งปวงนั้น ถูกโลหาสุระกระทำให้วิปริตไปเช่นนั้น

Word by Word

• उद्वसम्: desolation; abandonment
• उद्वसम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: उद्वस (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (कर्म), एकवचन

• हि: indeed; for
• हि: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (emphatic/causal particle)

• तदा: then
• तदा: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तदा (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (temporal adverb)

• जातम्: arose; came into being
• जातम्: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: जन् (धातु) + जात (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘भू’ अर्थे (become)

• धर्मारण्यं: Dharma-forest (Dharmāraṇya)
• धर्मारण्यं: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धर्म (प्रातिपदिक) + अरण्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (धर्मस्य अरण्यम्), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Conjunction/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• दुर्लभम्: rare; hard to obtain
• दुर्लभम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दुर् (उपसर्ग/अव्यय) + लभ (धातु) → दुर्लभ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (धर्मारण्यस्य)

• भूषणम्: ornament; glory
• भूषणम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भूषण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• सर्वतीर्थानाम्: of all sacred fords/pilgrimage places
• सर्वतीर्थानाम्: Shashthi-Sambandha (Genitive/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक) + तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय (सर्वाणि तीर्थानि), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• कृतम्: made; created
• कृतम्: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु) + कृत (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्मणि/भावे प्रयोग (made/created)

• लोहासुरेण: by Lohāsura
• लोहासुरेण: Karana (Agent-instrumental/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लोह (प्रातिपदिक) + असुर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय/तत्पुरुष (लोहः असुरः/लोह-नामकः असुरः), पुल्लिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• तत्: that
• तत्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सर्वनाम

Speaker

Narrator (contextual Purāṇic narration; likely Vyāsa continuing the account)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Dharmāraṇya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A once-thriving sacred forest-tīrtha now deserted: broken sacrificial posts, silent ghāṭa/ford, with Lohāsura’s looming presence as the agent of desecration; the ‘ornament of tīrthas’ visually tarnished.

Characters & Entities

• Dharmāraṇya
• Lohāsura

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Even renowned tīrthas can be veiled by hostile forces; their sanctity remains, but access may depend on restoration and divine order.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Dharmāraṇya is praised as an ‘ornament of all tīrthas,’ even while describing its temporary desolation.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it narrates the condition of the sacred region under Lohāsura’s influence.