Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 45

Devanagari script

निर्ययौ परमप्रीत्या वनं परमपावनम् । बिल्वार्कखदिराकीर्णं कपित्थधवसंकुलम्

Transliteration

niryayau paramaprītyā vanaṃ paramapāvanam | bilvārkakhadirākīrṇaṃ kapitthadhavasaṃkulam

Translation

他怀着极大的欢喜，启程前往那至为净化的森林——林中密布毕婆（bilva）、阿尔迦（arka）与佉提罗（khadira）之树，又遍生迦毗他（kapittha）与达婆（dhava）。

Word by Word

• निर्ययौ: went out, departed
• निर्ययौ: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: निर्-या (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (singular); परस्मैपदम्

• परमप्रीत्या: with supreme affection
• परमप्रीत्या: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: परमा + प्रीति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (f.), तृतीया (Instrumental/करण), एकवचन (sg.)

• वनम्: forest
• वनम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (n.), द्वितीया (Accusative/कर्म), एकवचन (sg.)

• परमपावनम्: most purifying
• परमपावनम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: परम + पावन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (n.), द्वितीया (Accusative), एकवचन (sg.); विशेषणम् (qualifier) वनम्-विशेषणम्

• बिल्वार्कखदिराकीर्णम्: strewn with bilva, arka, and khadira (trees)
• बिल्वार्कखदिराकीर्णम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: बिल्व + अर्क + खदिर + आकीर्ण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (n.), द्वितीया (Accusative), एकवचन (sg.); विशेषणम् (qualifier) वनम्-विशेषणम्

• कपित्थधवसंकुलम्: crowded with kapittha and dhava (trees)
• कपित्थधवसंकुलम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कपित्थ + धव + संकुल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (n.), द्वितीया (Accusative), एकवचन (sg.); विशेषणम् (qualifier) वनम्-विशेषणम्

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) narrating (deduced from Purāṇic narration style within Brāhma Khaṇḍa)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Dharmāraṇya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim/ascetic departs joyfully toward a dense sacred forest; foreground bilva leaves and fruits, arka shrubs, khadira trunks; kapittha and dhava trees crowd the path; the air feels ritually pure.

Characters & Entities

• Dharmāraṇya
• Bilva
• Arka
• Khadira
• Kapittha
• Dhava

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Approaching a holy place with joy and reverence is itself a dharmic act; the forest’s sanctity is expressed through its auspicious, worship-associated trees.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Dharmāraṇya—the sacred forest celebrated in the Dharmāraṇya Khaṇḍa of the Brāhma Khaṇḍa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit rite is prescribed here; the verse functions as a māhātmya-style portrayal of the kṣetra’s purity through its flora.