Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 30

Devanagari script

तथात्र चतुर्लक्षं संक्षेपेण निवेशितम् । पुराणानि दशाष्टौ च साम्प्रतं तदिहोच्यते । नामतस्तानि वक्ष्यामि शृणु त्वमृषिसत्तम

Transliteration

tathātra caturlakṣaṃ saṃkṣepeṇa niveśitam | purāṇāni daśāṣṭau ca sāmprataṃ tadihocyate | nāmatastāni vakṣyāmi śṛṇu tvamṛṣisattama

Translation

Hier ist in gedrängter Form ein Umfang von vier Lakhs niedergelegt. Gegenwärtig werden hier die achtzehn Purāṇas gelehrt. Nun werde ich sie dem Namen nach nennen—höre, o Bester der ṛṣis.

Word by Word

• तथा: thus
• तथा: Sambandha (Discourse connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tathā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रकारवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (adverb of manner: "thus")

• अत्र: here
• अत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atra (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (locative adverb: "here")

• चतुःलक्षम्: four lakhs (of verses)
• चतुःलक्षम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: catur + lakṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया विभक्ति; एकवचन (neuter; nominative/accusative singular); संख्यासमास (dvigu: "four lakhs")

• संक्षेपेण: briefly, in summary
• संक्षेपेण: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: saṃkṣepa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; तृतीया विभक्ति; एकवचन (instrumental singular)

• निवेशितम्: has been placed/inserted
• निवेशितम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ni-viś (धातु) + kta (कृत् प्रत्यय)
• Form: कृदन्त (क्त-प्रत्ययान्त भूतकर्मणि/कर्मणि प्रयोग); नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया; एकवचन (past passive participle: "placed/inserted")

• पुराणानि: Purāṇas
• पुराणानि: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: purāṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया विभक्ति; बहुवचन (neuter nominative/accusative plural)

• दश: ten
• दश: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: daśa (संख्या/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययवत् संख्या-विशेषण (indeclinable numeral used adjectivally)

• अष्टौ: eight
• अष्टौ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: aṣṭa (संख्या/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा विभक्ति; द्विवचन/बहुवचनरूप (numeral form "eight"; used with implied plural)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयबोधक निपात (conjunction "and")

• साम्प्रतम्: at present
• साम्प्रतम्: Kala (Time/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sāmprata (अव्यय/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (temporal adverb: "now/at present")

• तत्: that
• तत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम; नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया; एकवचन (pronoun "that")

• इह: here
• इह: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iha (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक क्रियाविशेषण ("here")

• उच्यते: is stated
• उच्यते: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (धातु)
• Form: लट् लकार; प्रथमपुरुष; एकवचन; कर्मणि प्रयोग (present passive: "is said")

• नामतः: by name
• नामतः: Sambandha (Specification/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: nāman + tas (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; तसिल्-प्रत्ययान्त (ablatival adverb: "by name/as to names")

• तानि: those (Purāṇas)
• तानि: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम; नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया विभक्ति; बहुवचन (accusative plural: "those")

• वक्ष्यामि: I will describe
• वक्ष्यामि: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (धातु)
• Form: लृट् लकार; उत्तमपुरुष; एकवचन; परस्मैपद (simple future: "I will tell")

• शृणु: listen
• शृणु: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: śru (धातु)
• Form: लोट् लकार; मध्यमपुरुष; एकवचन; परस्मैपद (imperative: "listen")

• त्वम्: you
• त्वम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tvad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम; प्रथमा विभक्ति; एकवचन (2nd person pronoun)

• ऋषिसत्तम: O best of sages
• ऋषिसत्तम: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ṛṣi + sattama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; सम्बोधन विभक्ति; एकवचन (vocative singular); षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष ("best of sages")

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) narrating to the sages (deduced)

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: ṛṣisattama (best of sages)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A sage-teacher in a forest-āśrama or tīrtha pavilion announces that the Purāṇic corpus is condensed and will be named; attentive ṛṣis sit in orderly rows with palm-leaf manuscripts nearby.

Characters & Entities

• Eighteen Purāṇas (implied)
• Ṛṣis (sages)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The Purāṇic tradition is intentionally condensed for human learning, yet remains systematically preserved through recognized canonical divisions.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

None in this verse; it introduces a canonical enumeration rather than a tīrtha-māhātmya.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No ritual is given; the instruction is to listen attentively to the named Purāṇas and their teaching.