Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 78

Devanagari script

श्रीसूत उवाच । पितरं निहतं श्रुत्वा रुदन्द्रौणिश्चिरं द्विजाः

Transliteration

śrīsūta uvāca | pitaraṃ nihataṃ śrutvā rudandrauṇiściraṃ dvijāḥ

Translation

Śrī Sūta sprach: O zweimalgeborene Weise, als er hörte, dass sein Vater erschlagen worden war, verharrte Rudandrauṇi lange Zeit überwältigt und regungslos.

Word by Word

• śrīsūtaḥ: the venerable Sūta
• śrīsūtaḥ: Karta (Speaker/वक्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śrī-sūta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; समासः—कर्मधारय (श्रीमान् सूतः)

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriya (Speech verb/वचनक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• pitaram: father
• pitaram: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pitṛ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• nihatam: slain
• nihatam: Karma (Qualifier/कर्म-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ni-hata (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; कृदन्त (क्त), उपसर्ग-युक्त (ni-)

• śrutvā: having heard
• śrutvā: Kriya (पूर्वक्रिया/अनुक्रम)
• Type: Verb
• Root: śru (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund), पूर्वकालिक क्रिया

• rudan: weeping
• rudan: Karta (Qualifier/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: rud (धातु)
• Form: वर्तमानकाले कृदन्त (शतृ), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• drauṇiḥ: Drauṇi (Aśvatthāmā)
• drauṇiḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: drauṇi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• ciram: for a long time
• ciram: Kriya-visheṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: cira (अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb: for a long time)

• dvijāḥ: O twice-born (brāhmaṇas)
• dvijāḥ: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dvija (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन/प्रथमा, बहुवचन (context: address)

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa/Sūta)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Naimiṣāraṇya (frame)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Dvijāḥ sages headed by Śaunaka

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Sūta addresses seated sages in a forest hermitage; as he speaks, the mind’s eye shows Rudandrauṇi/Aśvatthāman standing rigid, eyes fixed, breath heavy—grief immobilizing him before rage ignites.

Characters & Entities

• Sūta
• Rudandrauṇi
• Pitar (father)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

It portrays the immediate human impact of adharma and violence—grief and paralysis—setting the moral ground for later dharmic resolution and sacred recourse.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The broader context is Setu (Setubandha/Rāmeśvaram sacred region) in the Setukhaṇḍa, though this particular half-verse focuses on narrative reaction rather than directly naming the tīrtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None in this line; it is a narrative transition describing Rudandrauṇi’s response upon hearing of his father’s death.