Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 1

Devanagari script

ऋषय ऊचुः । भगवन्सूतसर्वज्ञ कृष्णद्वैपायनप्रिय । त्वन्मुखाद्वै कथाः श्रुत्वा श्रोत्रकामृतवर्षिणीः

Transliteration

ṛṣaya ūcuḥ | bhagavansūtasarvajña kṛṣṇadvaipāyanapriya | tvanmukhādvai kathāḥ śrutvā śrotrakāmṛtavarṣiṇīḥ

Translation

Die Weisen sprachen: O erhabener Sūta, allwissend und dem Kṛṣṇa Dvaipāyana (Vyāsa) lieb! Nachdem wir aus deinem Mund diese Erzählungen vernommen haben, die Nektar in die Ohren regnen lassen,

Word by Word

• ऋषयः: sages
• ऋषयः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ऋषि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन

• ऊचुः: said
• ऊचुः: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन, परस्मैपद

• भगवन्: O venerable one
• भगवन्: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भगवत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative), एकवचन

• सूत-सर्वज्ञ: O all-knowing Sūta
• सूत-सर्वज्ञ: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सूत (प्रातिपदिक) + सर्वज्ञ (प्रातिपदिक) (समास)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative), एकवचन; कर्मधारयः—‘सूतः (त्वं) सर्वज्ञः’

• कृष्ण-द्वैपायन-प्रिय: O beloved of Kṛṣṇa Dvaipāyana (Vyāsa)
• कृष्ण-द्वैपायन-प्रिय: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कृष्णद्वैपायन (प्रातिपदिक) + प्रिय (प्रातिपदिक) (समास)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः—‘कृष्णद्वैपायनस्य प्रियः’

• त्वत्-मुखात्: from your mouth
• त्वत्-मुखात्: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्वद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + मुख (प्रातिपदिक) (समास)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (5th/Ablative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः—‘त्वत् मुखात्’

• वै: indeed
• वै: Discourse particle (Emphasis)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वै (निपात)
• Form: अव्यय (निपात), अवधारणार्थ

• कथाः: stories, discourses
• कथाः: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कथा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), बहुवचन

• श्रुत्वा: having heard
• श्रुत्वा: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: श्रु (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (Gerund/Absolutive), पूर्वकालिक-क्रिया

• श्रोत्र-क-अमृत-वर्षिणीः: pouring nectar into the ears
• श्रोत्र-क-अमृत-वर्षिणीः: Karma (Qualifier of object)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: श्रोत्र (प्रातिपदिक) + क (प्रातिपदिक) + अमृत (प्रातिपदिक) + वर्षिणी (प्रातिपदिक) (समास)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), बहुवचन; बहुपद-तत्पुरुषः—‘श्रोत्रेषु कामृतं वर्षयन्तीः’ (ear-nectar-raining) विशेषणम् (to कथाः)

Speaker

Ṛṣis (Sages)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Naimiṣāraṇya (frame-kshetra)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Sūta

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Forest hermitage at Naimiṣa: sages seated on kusa mats around Sūta, who is honored as all-knowing and dear to Vyāsa; the air is depicted as raining ‘nectar’ through sound-waves.

Characters & Entities

• Ṛṣis
• Sūta
• Kṛṣṇa Dvaipāyana (Vyāsa)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purāṇic wisdom is received through a sacred lineage of narration; hearing dharma-kathā with reverence is itself nourishing and meritorious.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No single tīrtha is named in this verse; it sets the narrative frame for continuing the Setu Māhātmya discourse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Śravaṇa (devotional listening) to sacred narratives from an authorized narrator (Sūta).