Skanda Purana — Vishnu Khanda, Shloka 117

Devanagari script

व्यास उवाच । अवापुस्ते कथं स्वर्गं साकेतनगरीजनाः । कथं च राघवो विद्वन्नेतत्कथय सुव्रत

Transliteration

vyāsa uvāca | avāpuste kathaṃ svargaṃ sāketanagarījanāḥ | kathaṃ ca rāghavo vidvannetatkathaya suvrata

Translation

ব্যাস বললেন—সাকেত-নগরীর সেই লোকেরা কীভাবে স্বর্গ লাভ করল? আর রাঘব কীভাবে এ কাজ সম্পন্ন করলেন? হে বিদ্বান, হে সুব্রত, আমাকে বলুন।

Word by Word

• व्यासः: Vyāsa
• व्यासः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: व्यास (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st/कर्ता), एकवचन

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect); परस्मैपद; प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; √वच् (to speak)

• अवापुः: obtained
• अवापुः: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अव् + आप् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect); परस्मैपद; प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन

• ते: they
• ते: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st/कर्ता), बहुवचन; सर्वनाम (pronoun)

• कथम्: how
• कथम्: —
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: कथम् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रश्नवाचक-प्रकार (interrogative adverb: ‘how’)

• स्वर्गम्: heaven
• स्वर्गम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्वर्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन

• साकेतनगरीजनाः: the people of Sāketa-city
• साकेतनगरीजनाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: साकेत-नगरी-जन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st/कर्ता), बहुवचन

• कथम्: how
• कथम्: —
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: कथम् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रश्नवाचक-प्रकार

• च: and
• च: —
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय (conjunction)

• राघवः: Rāghava (Rāma)
• राघवः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: राघव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st/कर्ता), एकवचन

• विद्वन्: O learned one
• विद्वन्: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विद्वस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; सम्बोधन (8th), एकवचन

• एतत्: this (matter)
• एतत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• कथय: tell
• कथय: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कथ् (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (Imperative); परस्मैपद; मध्यमपुरुष (2nd person), एकवचन; √कथ् (to tell)

• सुव्रत: O virtuous one
• सुव्रत: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सुव्रत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; सम्बोधन (8th), एकवचन; ‘O one of good vows’

Speaker

Vyāsa

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Ayodhyā tīrtha complex (contextual)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Agastya

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Forest āśrama setting: Vyāsa seated with palm-leaf manuscript, facing Agastya; Vyāsa’s hand raised in inquiry; behind them, a faint visionary backdrop of Ayodhyā’s river and ghāṭas, indicating the subject of the question.

Characters & Entities

• Vyāsa
• Sāketa
• Rāghava (Rāma)
• Svarga

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purāṇic teaching unfolds through inquiry: the listener asks for the hidden dharmic cause behind extraordinary spiritual results.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Ayodhyā/Sāketa sacred waters and tīrtha context are being introduced for fuller explanation in the subsequent narrative.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No direct prescription; it is a question prompting the explanation of the rite and its fruit.