Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 3

Devanagari script

वह्निकुंडसमुद्भूत सूतनिर्मलमानस । शृणुष्वैकं पुरा विद्भिर्भाषितं यत्सुभा षितम्

Transliteration

vahnikuṃḍasamudbhūta sūtanirmalamānasa | śṛṇuṣvaikaṃ purā vidbhirbhāṣitaṃ yatsubhā ṣitam

Translation

O Sūta, aus der Feuergrube hervorgegangen und von reinem Geist, höre diese eine Lehre: ein vortreffliches Wort, das einst von den Weisen gesprochen wurde.

Word by Word

• वह्निकुण्डसमुद्भूत: O one arisen from the fire-pit
• वह्निकुण्डसमुद्भूत: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वह्नि (प्रातिपदिक) + कुण्ड (प्रातिपदिक) + समुद्भूत (भू-धातु, क्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; सम्बोधन; एकवचन; ‘समुद्भूत’ = सम्+उद्+भू (क्त-प्रत्यय, past participle) ‘arisen’; तत्पुरुष-समास (‘वह्निकुण्डात् समुद्भूतः’); विशेषणं (त्वम्)

• सूतनिर्मलमानस: O Sūta of pure mind
• सूतनिर्मलमानस: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सूत (प्रातिपदिक) + निर्मल (प्रातिपदिक) + मानस (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; सम्बोधन; एकवचन; कर्मधारय-समास (‘निर्मलं मानसं यस्य’)

• शृणुष्व: listen
• शृणुष्व: Kriya (Command/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: श्रु (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (Imperative); मध्यमपुरुष; एकवचन; आत्मनेपद (शृणु + स्व)

• एकम्: one (thing)
• एकम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया; एकवचन; ‘one (thing)’

• पुरा: formerly
• पुरा: Sambandha (Temporal/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुरा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक (adverb ‘formerly’)

• विद्भिः: by the wise
• विद्भिः: Karana (Instrument/Agentive means/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विद्वस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; तृतीया (Instrumental); बहुवचन

• भाषितम्: spoken
• भाषितम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भाष् (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle); नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया; एकवचन; ‘spoken’

• यत्: which
• यत्: Sambandha (Relative link/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया; एकवचन; सम्बन्ध-प्रत्यय (relative pronoun)

• सुभाषितम्: a well-spoken saying
• सुभाषितम्: Karma (Apposition to ‘यत्’/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सु (उपसर्ग/पूर्वपद) + भाषित (भाष्-धातु, क्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया; एकवचन; कर्मधारय-समास (‘सु भाषितम्’ = well-said saying)

Speaker

Pārāśarya (contextual continuation)

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Sūta

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A teacher addresses Sūta with respectful epithet, recalling his fire-pit origin; the scene is a quiet instruction moment before a key maxim is delivered.

Characters & Entities

• Sūta
• Wise ones (vid)
• Vahnikuṇḍa (fire-pit motif)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharma is transmitted through attentive listening to time-tested wisdom preserved by the learned.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No particular tīrtha is named; the verse introduces a dharma-maxim within the Kāśīkhaṇḍa milieu.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Śravaṇa (listening) is emphasized as the practical discipline.