Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 1

Devanagari script

सूत उवाच । एवं शिवतमः पंथाः शिवेनैव प्रदर्शितः । नृणां संसृतिबद्धानां सद्योमुक्तिकरः परः

Transliteration

sūta uvāca | evaṃ śivatamaḥ paṃthāḥ śivenaiva pradarśitaḥ | nṛṇāṃ saṃsṛtibaddhānāṃ sadyomuktikaraḥ paraḥ

Translation

Sūta sprach: So hat Śiva selbst den von Śiva erfüllten Pfad gezeigt; für die an den Saṃsāra Gebundenen ist er der höchste und schenkt unmittelbare Befreiung.

Word by Word

• सूतः: Sūta
• सूतः: Karta (Speaker/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सूत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; एकवचन

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriyā (Speech verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect); परस्मैपदम्; प्रथमपुरुष; एकवचन

• एवम्: thus
• एवम्: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial modifier)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एवम् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रकार/प्रकारे (adverb: thus)

• शिवतमः: most auspicious
• शिवतमः: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शिवतम (प्रातिपदिक) [शिव + तमप्]
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; एकवचन; अतिशयवाचक (superlative)

• पन्थाः: path, way
• पन्थाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पथिन्/पन्था (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; एकवचन (पन्थाः = nom. sg. of पन्था)

• शिवेन: by Śiva
• शिवेन: Karaṇa/Kartṛ (Agent in passive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शिव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; तृतीया; एकवचन

• एव: indeed, alone
• एव: Nipāta (Emphasis)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधारण (particle of emphasis: indeed/only)

• प्रदर्शितः: was shown, was taught
• प्रदर्शितः: Kriyā (Passive predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र√दृश् (धातु) + क्त (प्रत्यय)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle) प्रयुक्तः; पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; एकवचन; कर्मणि प्रयोगे विधेय

• नृणाम्: of men, of people
• नृणाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; षष्ठी; बहुवचन

• संसृति-बद्धानाम्: bound by transmigration
• संसृति-बद्धानाम्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier of nṛṇām)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: संसृति (प्रातिपदिक) + बद्ध (प्रातिपदिक/कृदन्त) [√बन्ध् + क्त]
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; षष्ठी; बहुवचन; तत्पुरुषः (saṃsṛtyā baddhāḥ) विशेषण

• सद्यः-मुक्ति-करः: giving immediate liberation
• सद्यः-मुक्ति-करः: Kartṛ-samānādhikaraṇa (Predicate adjective of path)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सद्यः (अव्यय) + मुक्ति (प्रातिपदिक) + कर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (sadyas muktiṃ karoti) विशेषण

• परः: supreme, excellent
• परः: Kartṛ-samānādhikaraṇa (Predicate adjective)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; एकवचन; विशेषण

Speaker

Sūta

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Śiva-patha (the liberating way)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Ṛṣis/Śaunaka-led assembly (implied Purāṇic frame)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Sūta, seated in a forest hermitage assembly, proclaims that Śiva Himself has shown the supreme path; listeners sit attentive, the mood contemplative and liberating.

Characters & Entities

• Sūta
• Śiva
• Saṃsāra

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Śiva’s own teaching is presented as the highest path, capable of freeing the soul from saṃsāra swiftly.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No particular tīrtha is specified; the verse introduces a doctrinal path rather than a place-māhātmya.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No single ritual is specified; it introduces Śiva’s path as the overarching liberating discipline.