Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 1

Devanagari script

।श्रीसूत उवाच । अथातः संप्रवक्ष्यामि मुनयो लोकपावनम् । गायत्र्या च सरस्वत्या माहात्म्यं मुक्तिदं नृणाम्

Transliteration

|śrīsūta uvāca | athātaḥ saṃpravakṣyāmi munayo lokapāvanam | gāyatryā ca sarasvatyā māhātmyaṃ muktidaṃ nṛṇām

Translation

Śrī Sūta sprach: Nun denn, o Weise, will ich darlegen, was die Welten reinigt — die Größe von Gāyatrī und Sarasvatī, die den Menschen Befreiung (mokṣa) verleiht.

Word by Word

• श्री-सूतः: Śrī Sūta
• श्री-सूतः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्री (प्रातिपदिक) + सूत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; समासः—श्रीमान् सूतः

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• अथ: then/now
• अथ: Sambandha/Discourse
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अथ (अव्यय)
• Form: मङ्गल/अनन्तरार्थक-अव्यय (then/now)

• अतः: therefore
• अतः: Sambandha/Hetu
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अतः (अव्यय)
• Form: हेतुवाचक-अव्यय (therefore/from this)

• संप्रवक्ष्यामि: I shall expound
• संप्रवक्ष्यामि: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम्+प्र√वच् (धातु)
• Form: लृट्-लकार (Simple Future), उत्तमपुरुष (1st person), एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• मुनयः: O sages
• मुनयः: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मुनि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, संबोधन/प्रथमा, बहुवचन (vocative/nominative plural)

• लोक-पावनम्: world-purifying (topic)
• लोक-पावनम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लोक (प्रातिपदिक) + पावन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; समासः—लोकान् पावयति इति/लोकस्य पावनम्

• गायत्र्याः: of Gāyatrī
• गायत्र्याः: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गायत्री (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी/पञ्चमी, एकवचन; अत्र षष्ठी (of Gāyatrī)

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• सरस्वत्याः: of Sarasvatī
• सरस्वत्याः: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सरस्वती (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, एकवचन

• माहात्म्यम्: greatness, sacred glory
• माहात्म्यम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: माहात्म्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• मुक्ति-दम्: liberation-giving
• मुक्ति-दम्: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मुक्ति (प्रातिपदिक) + द (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; समासः—मुक्तिं ददाति इति (giver of liberation)

• नृणाम्: of men/people
• नृणाम्: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

Speaker

Sūta

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Sarasvatī (and Gāyatrī as mantra-tīrtha)

Type: river

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Muni-s (Naimiṣāraṇya assembly)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Sūta addresses assembled sages, announcing a new discourse: the glory of Gāyatrī (as radiant mantra-deity) and Sarasvatī (as a luminous river goddess), both depicted as purifying forces granting mokṣa.

Characters & Entities

• Sūta
• Gāyatrī
• Sarasvatī
• Munis (sages)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Devotion to Gāyatrī and Sarasvatī—through their māhātmya and practice—purifies life and leads toward liberation.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

This opening verse shifts from a specific tīrtha to a new māhātmya theme (Gāyatrī–Sarasvatī); no single site is named in the verse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A promise of instruction (pravacana) about Gāyatrī and Sarasvatī; the verse introduces their māhātmya as a mokṣa-oriented practice context.