Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 12

Devanagari script

विद्यते ब्राह्मणश्रेष्ठा मातृभूता सनातनी । अदो यद्दारुरित्यन्या यत्रास्ति मुनिपुंगवाः

Transliteration

vidyate brāhmaṇaśreṣṭhā mātṛbhūtā sanātanī | ado yaddārurityanyā yatrāsti munipuṃgavāḥ

Translation

O Bester der Brāhmaṇas, es gibt eine ewige Śruti, mütterlich in ihrer Autorität. Auch eine andere Śruti findet sich—beginnend mit «ado yad dāruḥ…»—wo sie, o erhabene Munis, als Zeugnis gegenwärtig ist.

Word by Word

• विद्यते: exists / is found
• विद्यते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: विद् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

• ब्राह्मणश्रेष्ठाः: O best of Brahmins
• ब्राह्मणश्रेष्ठाः: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्राह्मण (प्रातिपदिक) + श्रेष्ठ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), बहुवचन; तत्पुरुष-समास (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष) = ‘ब्राह्मणानां श्रेष्ठाः’ (vocative-sense)

• मातृभूता: mother-like
• मातृभूता: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मातृ (प्रातिपदिक) + भूत (कृदन्त, भू धातोः क्त)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समास = ‘मातृवत् भूता’ (having become like a mother)

• सनातनी: eternal
• सनातनी: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सनातन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन

• अदः: that (thing)
• अदः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अदस् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; deictic pronoun ‘that’

• यत्: which
• यत्: Sambandha (Relative/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; relative pronoun

• दारुः: wood
• दारुः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दारु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन

• इति: thus
• इति: Sambandha (Quotation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (उद्धरण/समाप्तिसूचक) = ‘thus’

• अन्या: another (statement)
• अन्या: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अन्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन

• यत्र: where
• यत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (देशवाचक) = relative adverb ‘where’

• अस्ति: is
• अस्ति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• मुनिपुंगवाः: foremost sages
• मुनिपुंगवाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मुनि (प्रातिपदिक) + पुंगव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), बहुवचन; तत्पुरुष-समास = ‘मुनीनां पुंगवाः’

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Setukhaṇḍa Māhātmya style narration)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Setu-kṣetra (validated by śruti)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: brāhmaṇas/sages addressed as ‘brāhmaṇaśreṣṭhāḥ’ and ‘munipuṅgavāḥ’

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A circle of venerable sages on the seashore reciting Vedic mantras from memory; one elder gestures as if explaining ‘mātṛ-bhūtā śruti’; palm-leaf manuscripts and ritual ladles nearby; the sea as a vast witness.

Characters & Entities

• Śruti
• Muni
• Brāhmaṇa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Tīrtha-mahātmya is reinforced by śruti-pramāṇa—Vedic testimony presented as a guiding, ‘mother-like’ authority.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse supports the Setu-kṣetra discussion indirectly by appealing to śruti authority.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No ritual is prescribed; the focus is on scriptural validation (śruti) for the teaching.