Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 24

Devanagari script

उभाभ्यां यत्तु दृष्टं हि तत्पुराणेषु गीयते । पुराणं सर्वशास्त्राणां प्रथमं ब्रह्मणः स्मृतम्

Transliteration

ubhābhyāṃ yattu dṛṣṭaṃ hi tatpurāṇeṣu gīyate | purāṇaṃ sarvaśāstrāṇāṃ prathamaṃ brahmaṇaḥ smṛtam

Translation

Was in beiden (Veda und Smṛti) erkannt wird, eben diese Lehre wird in den Purāṇas besungen. Das Purāṇa wird als das erste unter allen Śāstras erinnert, hervorgegangen aus Brahmā selbst.

Word by Word

• ubhābhyām: by both
• ubhābhyām: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ubhā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (द्वयवाचक), तृतीया-विभक्ति (3rd/Instrumental), द्विवचन; 'उभाभ्याम्' = by both (i.e., Veda and Smṛti)

• yat: whatever which
• yat: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Nom/Acc), एकवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक

• tu: indeed; but
• tu: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: विरोध/विशेषार्थक-अव्यय (but/indeed)

• dṛṣṭam: seen; found
• dṛṣṭam: Kriya (Predicative/क्रिया-भाव)
• Type: Verb
• Root: dṛś (दृश् धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त-भूतकृत् (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• hi: indeed
• hi: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: hi (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात-अव्यय (indeed)

• tat: that
• tat: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Nom/Acc), एकवचन

• purāṇeṣu: in the Purāṇas
• purāṇeṣu: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: purāṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (7th/Locative), बहुवचन

• gīyate: is sung; is proclaimed
• gīyate: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: gai (गै धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), आत्मनेपद, प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; कर्मणि-प्रयोग (passive)

• purāṇam: the Purāṇa
• purāṇam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: purāṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Nom/Acc), एकवचन

• sarvaśāstrāṇām: of all śāstras
• sarvaśāstrāṇām: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sarva-śāstra (प्रातिपदिक; sarva + śāstra)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन

• prathamam: first; foremost
• prathamam: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: prathama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Nom/Acc), एकवचन; विशेषण (of purāṇam)

• brahmaṇaḥ: of Brahmā
• brahmaṇaḥ: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brahman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• smṛtam: remembered; recorded as
• smṛtam: Kriya (Predicative/क्रिया-भाव)
• Type: Verb
• Root: smṛ (स्मृ धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त-भूतकृत् (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विधेय-विशेषण

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) narrating to the sages (deduced for Purāṇa-introductory discourse)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā (Narmadā) section—general mahatmya frame

Type: river

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Brahmā seated on a lotus, emanating a radiant manuscript/stream of verses that sages receive and chant; the ‘sung’ nature is shown by musical notation or vīṇā nearby; river motif hints at Revā context.

Characters & Entities

• Purāṇa
• Brahmā
• Veda
• Smṛti

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purāṇa is presented as an authoritative, Brahmā-rooted vehicle that harmonizes and proclaims Vedic and Smṛti dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

None in this verse; it is a doctrinal bridge preparing the reader for sacred-geography teachings in the Revā Khaṇḍa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No ritual instruction appears; the focus is on scriptural provenance and authority.