Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 99

Devanagari script

यथा पुण्यं तथा पापं कृतं कर्म शुभाशुभम् । तत्सर्वं वर्द्धते नूनं धर्मारण्ये नृपोत्तम

Transliteration

yathā puṇyaṃ tathā pāpaṃ kṛtaṃ karma śubhāśubham | tatsarvaṃ varddhate nūnaṃ dharmāraṇye nṛpottama

Translation

ดังบุญฉันใด บาปก็ฉันนั้น—กรรมใดที่ทำ ไม่ว่ามงคลหรืออัปมงคล—ทั้งหมดนั้นย่อมงอกเงยแน่นอนในธรรมารัณยะ โอ้พระราชาผู้ประเสริฐ

Word by Word

• यथा: as, just as
• यथा: Sambandha (Correlative/यथा-तथा)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (तुलना/प्रकारवाचक adverb)

• पुण्यम्: merit, virtue
• पुण्यम्: Visaya (Topic)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुण्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• तथा: so, likewise
• तथा: Sambandha (Correlative/यथा-तथा)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (correlative adverb)

• पापम्: sin
• पापम्: Visaya (Topic)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• कृतम्: done
• कृतम्: Kriya-visheshana/Predicate complement
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: कृदन्त (क्त), भूतकर्मणि; नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• कर्म: deed, action
• कर्म: Karta/Visaya (Subject/topic)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कर्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• शुभ-अशुभम्: good and bad
• शुभ-अशुभम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शुभ (प्रातिपदिक) + अशुभ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: द्वन्द्व-समास (इतरेतर); विशेषण; नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन (कर्म इति विशेषण)

• तत्: that
• तत्: Visaya (Topic)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• सर्वम्: all
• सर्वम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: विशेषण; नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन (तत् इति विशेषण/सम्बन्ध)

• वर्द्धते: increases
• वर्द्धते: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वृध् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

• नूनम्: surely
• नूनम्: Kriya-visheshana (Certainty/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नूनम् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (निश्चयार्थक particle)

• धर्म-अरण्ये: in Dharmāraṇya (the sacred forest)
• धर्म-अरण्ये: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धर्म (प्रातिपदिक) + अरण्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (षष्ठी/सम्बन्ध: धर्मस्य अरण्यम्); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन

• नृप-उत्तम: O best of kings
• नृप-उत्तम: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नृप (प्रातिपदिक) + उत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय-समास (श्रेष्ठो नृपः); पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचन

Speaker

Unspecified (addressing a king: nṛpottama)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Dharmāraṇya

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: nṛpottama (best of kings)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A king is instructed by a sage in a sacred forest; the land itself is shown as luminous—half depicting auspicious acts blossoming into light, half warning that dark acts thicken into shadow—symbolizing karma growth in Dharmāraṇya.

Characters & Entities

• Dharmāraṇya
• Puṇya
• Pāpa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

A sacred place amplifies karmic results; therefore one must act carefully and virtuously in a tīrtha-region.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Dharmāraṇya itself is explicitly glorified as a place where karma—good or bad—intensifies.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Implicit prescription: engage in śubha-karma (virtuous acts) and avoid aśubha-karma, since results multiply in Dharmāraṇya.