Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 2

Devanagari script

व्यास उवाच । शृणु पार्थ महापुण्यां कथां स्कंदपुराणजाम् । स्थाणुनोक्तां च स्कंदाय धर्मारण्योद्भवां शुभाम्

Transliteration

vyāsa uvāca | śṛṇu pārtha mahāpuṇyāṃ kathāṃ skaṃdapurāṇajām | sthāṇunoktāṃ ca skaṃdāya dharmāraṇyodbhavāṃ śubhām

Translation

ব্যাস বললেন—হে পার্থ! স্কন্দপুরাণজাত এই মহাপুণ্য কাহিনি শোনো। এটি ধর্মারণ্যে উদ্ভূত শুভ কাহিনি, যা স্থাণু (শিব) স্কন্দকে বলেছিলেন।

Word by Word

• व्यासः: Vyāsa
• व्यासः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: व्यास (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• शृणु: listen
• शृणु: Kriya (Command/आज्ञा)
• Type: Verb
• Root: श्रु (धातु)
• Form: लोट्-लकार (Imperative), मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• पार्थ: O Pārtha (Arjuna)
• पार्थ: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पार्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• महापुण्याम्: very holy
• महापुण्याम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महापुण्य (प्रातिपदिक; महा + पुण्य)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण कथाम्

• कथाम्: story
• कथाम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कथा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• स्कन्दपुराणजाम्: born from/derived from the Skanda Purāṇa
• स्कन्दपुराणजाम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्कन्दपुराण-ज (प्रातिपदिक; स्कन्दपुराण + ज)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण कथाम्

• स्थाणुनोक्ताम्: spoken by Sthāṇu (Śiva)
• स्थाणुनोक्ताम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्थाणु-उक्त (प्रातिपदिक; स्थाणु + उक्त)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle) ‘said by Sthāṇu’; विशेषण कथाम्

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Conjunction)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (conjunction)

• स्कन्दाय: to Skanda
• स्कन्दाय: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्कन्द (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी-विभक्ति (Dative/4th), एकवचन

• धर्मारण्योद्भवाम्: arisen in/from Dharmāraṇya
• धर्मारण्योद्भवाम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: धर्मारण्य-उद्भव (प्रातिपदिक; धर्मारण्य + उद्भव)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण कथाम्

• शुभाम्: auspicious
• शुभाम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शुभ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण कथाम्

Speaker

Vyāsa

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Dharmāraṇya

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Pārtha (addressed) / Yudhiṣṭhira (frame listener)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Vyāsa, composed and authoritative, gestures as if opening a sacred discourse; behind him, a faint visionary overlay suggests Śiva (Sthāṇu) instructing Skanda, indicating the lineage of the story; Dharmāraṇya’s forest sanctity subtly present.

Characters & Entities

• Vyāsa
• Pārtha (Arjuna)
• Skanda
• Sthāṇu (Śiva)
• Dharmāraṇya
• Skanda Purāṇa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purāṇic māhātmyas are powerful conveyors of puṇya, especially when they transmit Śiva’s teaching lineage to Skanda.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Dharmāraṇya, identified as the auspicious setting/source of the narrative.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit rite is stated; the instruction is to hear (śṛṇu) the sacred account.