Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 31

Devanagari script

शिवदूता ऊचुः । ब्रह्मन्सुमहदाश्चर्यं शृणु कौतूहलं यदि । इमामुद्दिश्य चांडालीं यदुक्तं भवताधुना

Transliteration

śivadūtā ūcuḥ | brahmansumahadāścaryaṃ śṛṇu kautūhalaṃ yadi | imāmuddiśya cāṃḍālīṃ yaduktaṃ bhavatādhunā

Translation

Die Boten Śivas sprachen: O Brahmane, wenn dich Neugier bewegt, so höre dieses überaus große Wunder — über diese Caṇḍāla-Frau und das, was du eben über sie gesagt hast.

Word by Word

• śivadūtāḥ: Śiva's messengers
• śivadūtāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śiva + dūta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन

• ūcuḥ: said
• ūcuḥ: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (परोक्षभूत/Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन, परस्मैपद

• brahman: O Brahman
• brahman: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brahman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative), एकवचन

• su: very
• su: Visheshana (Intensifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: su (अव्यय/उपसर्गवत्)
• Form: अव्यय, उपसर्गार्थे/उपपद-पूर्वपद (intensifier 'very')

• mahat: great
• mahat: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mahat (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; विशेषण (āścaryam)

• āścaryam: a wonder
• āścaryam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: āścarya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• śṛṇu: hear
• śṛṇu: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: śru (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (आज्ञार्थ/Imperative), मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• kautūhalam: curiosity; interesting matter
• kautūhalam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kautūhala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• yadi: if
• yadi: Sambandha (Condition marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yadi (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, शर्तार्थक (conditional particle)

• imām: this (woman)
• imām: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: idam (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• uddiśya: having referred to; addressing
• uddiśya: Kriya (Prior action/क्रिया)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ud + diś (धातु) → uddiśya (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त्वान्त/ल्यप्-अव्यय (absolutive/gerund)

• cāṇḍālīm: the outcaste woman
• cāṇḍālīm: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: cāṇḍālī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• yat: what
• yat: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; सम्बन्धक (relative)

• uktam: was said
• uktam: Karma (Predicate participle/कर्म)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (धातु) → ukta (कृदन्त)
• Form: कृदन्त (भूतकर्मणि क्त-प्रत्यय), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; passive past participle

• bhavatā: by you
• bhavatā: Karana (Agent in passive sense/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhavat (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), एकवचन; आदरार्थ-प्रयोग (honorific 'you')

• adhunā: just now
• adhunā: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: adhunā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, कालवाचक (temporal adverb)

Speaker

Śivadūtas (messengers of Śiva)

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Brahman (addressed as ‘Brahman’)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Śiva’s messengers, calm yet authoritative, invite the Brahman to hear a ‘great wonder’ concerning a caṇḍāla woman; the moment hangs before the revelation of her former birth.

Characters & Entities

• Śiva
• Śivadūta
• Brahman (addressee)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Do not judge spiritual destiny by appearances; the purāṇic narrative reveals concealed causes and the Lord’s grace.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific place is mentioned in this verse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it introduces an explanatory account (ākhyāna) about past life and merit.