Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 46

Devanagari script

विस्मयो हि न कर्तव्यो ह्यनुमानं हि तत्तथा । असंभाव्यं हि लोकानां पुराणे यत्प्रगीयते

Transliteration

vismayo hi na kartavyo hyanumānaṃ hi tattathā | asaṃbhāvyaṃ hi lokānāṃ purāṇe yatpragīyate

Translation

„Man soll sich nicht dem Staunen hingeben, denn auch die Vernunft stimmt damit überein. Was in den Purāṇas verkündet wird, erscheint den gewöhnlichen Menschen oft unmöglich.“

Word by Word

• विस्मयः: astonishment
• विस्मयः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विस्मय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• हि: indeed
• हि: Avyaya (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle)

• न: not
• न: Avyaya (Negation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक-अव्यय (negation particle)

• कर्तव्यः: to be done; should be (i.e., should be made)
• कर्तव्यः: Vidhi/Predicate (Obligation)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कृ (धातु) + तव्यत् (प्रत्यय)
• Form: कृत्य-प्रत्ययान्त (gerundive/obligatory), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विधेय-विशेषण (predicate adjective)

• हि: indeed
• हि: Avyaya (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle)

• अनुमानम्: inference
• अनुमानम्: Karta/Topic (Subject/Topic)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अनुमान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (1st/2nd Nom/Acc), एकवचन

• हि: indeed
• हि: Avyaya (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle)

• तत्: that
• तत्: Anaphoric/Topic
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (1st/2nd Nom/Acc), एकवचन

• तथा: thus; in that way
• तथा: Avyaya (Manner)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रकारवाचक-अव्यय (adverb of manner)

• असंभाव्यम्: impossible; not credible
• असंभाव्यम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अ-सम्-भाव्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (1st/2nd Nom/Acc), एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifying implied ‘tat’)

• हि: indeed
• हि: Avyaya (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle)

• लोकानाम्: of people
• लोकानाम्: Shashthi-sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लोक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन

• पुराणे: in the Purāṇa
• पुराणे: Adhikarana (Location/Domain)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुराण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• यत्: which; what
• यत्: Sambandha (Relative)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (1st/2nd Nom/Acc), एकवचन; सम्बन्धक (relative)

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

Speaker

Śiva (implied continuation from Deveśa’s reply)

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Pārvatī

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Śiva speaks with calm authority; behind him, a faint symbolic tableau shows ‘ordinary people’ doubting while a luminous śāstra-scroll radiates, indicating Purāṇic proclamation transcending common disbelief.

Characters & Entities

• Purāṇa
• Anumāna (inference)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purāṇic teachings ask for a balance: do not dismiss sacred claims as mere impossibility; align reason with scriptural insight.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Indirectly, the Revā/Narmadā tīrtha-mahātmya is defended against doubt by appealing to Purāṇic authority.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it addresses the attitude (shraddhā vs. disbelief) with which tīrtha-glories are to be approached.