Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 74

Devanagari script

राजोवाच । ब्रह्मादीनां परं क्षेत्रं धर्मारण्यमनुत्तमम् । ब्रह्मविष्णु महेशाद्या नेदानीमत्र संति ते

Transliteration

rājovāca | brahmādīnāṃ paraṃ kṣetraṃ dharmāraṇyamanuttamam | brahmaviṣṇu maheśādyā nedānīmatra saṃti te

Translation

พระราชาตรัสว่า “ธรรมารัณยะเป็นกษेत्रศักดิ์สิทธิ์สูงสุดอันหาที่เปรียบมิได้ของพระพรหมและเหล่าเทพทั้งหลาย แต่บัดนี้พระพรหม พระวิษณุ พระมหेश และอื่น ๆ มิได้ประทับอยู่ ณ ที่นี้”

Word by Word

• राजा: the king
• राजा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: राजन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु) + उद्-उपसर्ग; उवाच (परस्मैपद)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (परोक्ष-भूत/Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• ब्रह्मादीनाम्: of Brahmā and others
• ब्रह्मादीनाम्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्मन्-आदि (प्रातिपदिक; ब्रह्मन् + आदि)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; ‘ब्रह्मादयः’ इत्यस्य सम्बन्ध

• परम्: supreme
• परम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (kṣetraṃ)

• क्षेत्रम्: field/holy place
• क्षेत्रम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्षेत्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• धर्मारण्यम्: Dharma-forest (Dharmāraṇya)
• धर्मारण्यम्: Samanaadhikarana (Apposition/समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धर्म-अरण्य (प्रातिपदिक; धर्म + अरण्य)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; नाम (proper place-name)

• अनुत्तमम्: unsurpassed
• अनुत्तमम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अनुत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (kṣetraṃ/धर्मारण्यम्)

• ब्रह्मविष्णु: Brahmā and Viṣṇu
• ब्रह्मविष्णु: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्मन् + विष्णु (प्रातिपदिक-द्वन्द्व)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचनार्थे समाहार/इतरेतर-द्वन्द्व; (आद्याः इति सह)

• महेशाद्याः: Maheśa and others
• महेशाद्याः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महेश-आदि (प्रातिपदिक; महेश + आदि)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; ‘महेशः आदिः येषाम्’ (आदि-समास)

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-निपात

• इदानीम्: now
• इदानीम्: Adhikarana/Avyaya (Time adverb/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इदानीम् (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (temporal adverb)

• अत्र: here
• अत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (locative adverb)

• सन्ति: are/exist
• सन्ति: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (वर्तमान), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन; परस्मैपद

• ते: they
• ते: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; सर्वनाम

Speaker

King (Rājā)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Dharmāraṇya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A king in a forest-kshetra gestures toward empty sacred space—altars, ancient trees, and a quiet clearing—questioning where Brahmā, Viṣṇu, and Maheśa are; brāhmaṇas stand composed, ready to answer.

Characters & Entities

• Dharmāraṇya
• Brahmā
• Viṣṇu
• Maheśa (Śiva)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

A place can be intrinsically holy (kṣetra-māhātmya) even when divine manifestations are not visibly present; faith and dharma sustain sacredness.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Dharmāraṇya is explicitly praised as anuttama-kṣetra, a foremost sacred region.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None in this verse; it functions as kṣetra-stuti (praise of the sacred region).