Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 16

Devanagari script

अत्रानुवर्ण्यते गाथा पुण्या परमशोभना । गोपनीयापि कारुण्याद्गौतमेन प्रकाशिता

Transliteration

atrānuvarṇyate gāthā puṇyā paramaśobhanā | gopanīyāpi kāruṇyādgautamena prakāśitā

Translation

Hier wird eine heilige, überaus glänzende Erzählstrophe vorgetragen; obgleich sie des Geheimhaltens würdig ist, wurde sie von Gautama aus Mitgefühl offenbart.

Word by Word

• atra: here
• atra: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atra (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (adverb of place)

• anuvarṇyate: is described / narrated
• anuvarṇyate: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: anu + varṇ (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; कर्मणि प्रयोग (passive: "is described")

• gāthā: a verse / gāthā
• gāthā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gāthā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन

• puṇyā: meritorious / holy
• puṇyā: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: puṇya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifying gāthā)

• parama-śobhanā: supremely beautiful
• parama-śobhanā: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: parama (प्रातिपदिक) + śobhanā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्मधारय (परमा च सा शोभना)

• gopanīyā: to be kept secret
• gopanīyā: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: gopanīya (प्रातिपदिक; √gup + anīya)
• Form: कृदन्त (अनीयर्-प्रत्ययान्त, potential/gerundive sense), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषण

• api: even / although
• api: Sambandha (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय/अपि-निपात (particle: "even/also")

• kāruṇyāt: out of compassion
• kāruṇyāt: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kāruṇya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/अपादान), एकवचन; हेत्वर्थे (ablative of cause: "out of compassion")

• gautamena: by Gautama
• gautamena: Kartr-karana (Agent in passive/कर्ता-करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gautama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/करण), एकवचन

• prakāśitā: was revealed / made public
• prakāśitā: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra + kāś (धातु) + kta (कृत् प्रत्यय)
• Form: कृदन्त (क्त-प्रत्ययान्त) भूतकर्मणि; स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ("made known/revealed")

Speaker

Deductive: Purāṇic narrator within Brahmottarakhaṇḍa (likely Sūta-style narration to sages)

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Audience of the discourse (ṛṣis/seekers)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Sage Gautama, serene and compassionate, begins to recite a radiant ‘gāthā’ to attentive listeners; the words appear as luminous script in the air.

Characters & Entities

• Gautama (ṛṣi)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred teachings are sometimes guarded, yet compassionate sages disclose them for the welfare of devotees.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No tīrtha is identified in this verse; it introduces a forthcoming sacred story.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None directly; it signals an authoritative kathā that supports the upcoming ritual-mahātmya.