Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 34

Devanagari script

नानाविदा धर्मवार्ताः प्रकरिष्यसि ब्राह्मण । इत्युक्त्वा विजयाद्यास्ता देवीचरितवर्णनैः

Transliteration

nānāvidā dharmavārtāḥ prakariṣyasi brāhmaṇa | ityuktvā vijayādyāstā devīcaritavarṇanaiḥ

Translation

Mit den Worten: „O Brāhmaṇa, du wirst vielerlei Gespräche über Dharma darlegen“, vertrieben Vijayā und die anderen Gefährtinnen die Zeit, indem sie die Taten und Geschichten der Göttin erzählten.

Word by Word

• नानाविधाः: various kinds of
• नानाविधाः: Visheshana (Adjectival modifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: नानाविध (प्रातिपदिक; नाना + विध)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; विशेषणम् (qualifier)

• धर्मवार्ताः: talks/discourses on dharma
• धर्मवार्ताः: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धर्मवार्ता (प्रातिपदिक; धर्म + वार्ता)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन

• प्रकरिष्यसि: you will compose/perform
• प्रकरिष्यसि: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र + कृ (धातु)
• Form: लृट् (Simple Future), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• ब्राह्मण: O brāhmaṇa
• ब्राह्मण: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्राह्मण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th/Vocative), एकवचन

• इति: thus
• इति: Sambandha (Discourse marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति (अव्यय)
• Form: उक्त्यर्थक-अव्यय (quotative particle)

• उक्त्वा: having said
• उक्त्वा: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वच् (धातु) + क्त्वा (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (absolutive/gerund)

• विजयाद्याः: Vijayā and the others
• विजयाद्याः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विजया + आदि (प्रातिपदिक; विजयादि)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; ‘आदि’समास (and others beginning with Vijayā)

• ताः: they (fem.)
• ताः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन

• देवीचरितवर्णनैः: by narrations of the goddess’s deeds
• देवीचरितवर्णनैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देवी + चरित + वर्णन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन

Speaker

Lomaharṣaṇa (Sūta) narrating; the addressed person is a Brāhmaṇa/brahmacārī within the story

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: brāhmaṇa (within the scene)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: In a forest hermitage, a learned brāhmaṇa sits as Vijayā and her companions pass time by narrating the Goddess’s deeds; palm-leaf manuscripts, sacrificial implements, and calm āśrama life surround them.

Characters & Entities

• Vijayā
• Pārvatī (Devī)
• Brāhmaṇa/Brahmacārī

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Remembering and narrating the Goddess’s deeds is itself dharmic conduct and a means of sanctifying time.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No tīrtha is named; the verse highlights Devī-kathā and dharma discourse rather than sacred geography.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit ritual is prescribed; devotional narration (kathā) is presented as a dharmic practice.