Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 20

Devanagari script

अत्रिं दृष्ट्वा महात्मानं दण्डकारण्यमागमत । रक्षोगणवधारम्भे विराधे विनिपातिते

Transliteration

atriṃ dṛṣṭvā mahātmānaṃ daṇḍakāraṇyamāgamata | rakṣogaṇavadhārambhe virādhe vinipātite

Translation

Sau khi yết kiến bậc đại hồn Atri, (Rāma) đi vào rừng Daṇḍaka. Khi cuộc diệt trừ bọn rākṣasa khởi sự, Virādha đã bị đánh ngã.

Word by Word

• अत्रिम्: Atri
• अत्रिम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अत्रि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; कर्म

• दृष्ट्वा: having seen
• दृष्ट्वा: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (gerund) ‘having seen’

• महात्मानम्: great-souled
• महात्मानम्: Karma (Object-qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महात्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (अत्रिम्)

• दण्डकारण्यम्: to the Daṇḍaka forest
• दण्डकारण्यम्: Karma (Goal/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दण्डक-अरण्य (प्रातिपदिक; दण्डक + अरण्य)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; गत्यर्थे कर्म (destination)

• आगमत: went/came
• आगमत: Kriyā (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ-गम् (धातु)
• Form: लङ् (अनद्यतनभूत/Imperfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• रक्षोगणवधारम्भे: at the start of the killing of the demon hordes
• रक्षोगणवधारम्भे: Adhikaraṇa (Location/Context)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रक्षस्-गण-वध-आरम्भ (प्रातिपदिक; रक्षस् + गण + वध + आरम्भ)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन; अधिकरणम् (in/at the beginning of the slaughter of the demon-hosts)

• विराधे: in (the case of) Virādha
• विराधे: Adhikaraṇa (Context)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विराध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन; अधिकरण/सप्तमी-सम्बन्ध (with regard to Virādha)

• विनिपातिते: when (he was) felled/slain
• विनिपातिते: Kāla-adhikaraṇa (Temporal absolute)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वि-नि-पत् (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past participle) ‘विनिपातित’; पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसक, सप्तमी, एकवचन; सति-सप्तमी (when/after he was struck down)

Speaker

Narrator (Purāṇic voice; likely Sūta/Lomaharṣaṇa)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Daṇḍakāraṇya

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Rājan (implied)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Rāma, after paying respects to sage Atri, enters the dense Daṇḍaka forest; the ominous Virādha confronts them; the moment of the rakṣasa’s fall marks the beginning of cleansing the forest of terror.

Characters & Entities

• Atri
• Daṇḍakāraṇya
• Virādha
• Rāma (implied)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Protecting sages and sacred order is a core of kṣatriya-dharma; dharma is defended by removing violent obstruction.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Daṇḍakāraṇya is evoked as a sacred forest-region where dharma is preserved and rishis are protected.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it narrates dharma-protection through righteous action.