Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 45

Devanagari script

धर्मारण्यं समागत्य राजधानी कृता तदा । देवांश्च स्थापयामास जैनधर्मप्रणीतकान्

Transliteration

dharmāraṇyaṃ samāgatya rājadhānī kṛtā tadā | devāṃśca sthāpayāmāsa jainadharmapraṇītakān

Translation

他来到达摩林(Dharmāraṇya)后，便以此为都城；并依耆那教义之规制，安立了相应的神像与诸尊。

Word by Word

• धर्मारण्यम्: Dharmāraṇya (name of place)
• धर्मारण्यम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धर्म-अरण्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Accusative singular (goal)

• समागत्य: having arrived
• समागत्य: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम्-आ-गम् (धातु) → समागत्य (क्त्वा-प्रत्यय)
• Form: अव्यय-कृदन्त (क्त्वा), ‘having come/arrived’

• राजधानी: (as) the capital
• राजधानी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: राजधानी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Nominative singular (predicate/subject)

• कृता: was made
• कृता: Kriya (Result state/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु) → कृत (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (क्त), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; PPP agreeing with राजधानी

• तदा: then
• तदा: Kala (Time/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तदा (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय; temporal adverb

• देवान्: gods/deities
• देवान्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; Accusative plural

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Coordination/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय; conjunction

• स्थापयामास: established/installed
• स्थापयामास: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्था (धातु) (णिच् causative स्थापय-) + आस् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (परोक्षभूत), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; periphrastic perfect (स्थापय + आमास)

• जैनधर्मप्रणीतकान्: prescribed according to Jain dharma
• जैनधर्मप्रणीतकान्: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: जैनधर्म-प्रणीतक (प्रातिपदिक; प्रणीत from प्र-नी धातु)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; ‘those prescribed/ordained by Jain dharma’ qualifying देवान्

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) to the sages (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Dharmāraṇya

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: vatsa-addressed interlocutor

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A newly chosen capital in a forest clearing: palisades and banners rise; artisans and priests install Jaina-prescribed deities (tīrthaṅkara images) while the king oversees the transformation of Dharmāraṇya into a rājadhānī.

Characters & Entities

• Dharmāraṇya
• Jaina dharma
• Deities (installed)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

A ruler’s religious policy shapes public dharma; altering worship-forms in a sacred region is shown as a turning point with far-reaching effects.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Dharmāraṇya itself is the highlighted sacred locale, presented as significant enough to become a capital.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Sthāpana/pratiṣṭhā (installation) of deities is mentioned, though the verse notes they were aligned with Jaina prescriptions.