Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 49

Devanagari script

ततः सुतनुनामा स बालोऽबालोऽभ्युवाच माम् । मम मंदायते वाणी प्रश्नैः स्वल्पैस्तव द्विज । तथापि वच्मि मां यस्मान्निहीनं मन्यते भवान्

Transliteration

tataḥ sutanunāmā sa bālo'bālo'bhyuvāca mām | mama maṃdāyate vāṇī praśnaiḥ svalpaistava dvija | tathāpi vacmi māṃ yasmānnihīnaṃ manyate bhavān

Translation

Dann sprach der Knabe namens Sutanū zu mir—jung an Jahren, doch keineswegs kindisch: „O Brāhmaṇa, deine kleinen Fragen lassen meine Rede stocken. Dennoch will ich sprechen, da du mich für mangelhaft hältst.“

Word by Word

• tataḥ: then
• tataḥ: Sambandha (Adverbial/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatas (अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb): then

• sutanunāmā: named Sutanu
• sutanunāmā: Karta (Subject qualifier/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sutanu-nāman (सुतनु + नामन्) (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; बहुव्रीहि: 'सुतनु-नाम यस्य सः' (whose name is Sutanu)

• saḥ: he
• saḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन, पुंलिङ्ग

• bālaḥ: a boy
• bālaḥ: Karta (Apposition/कर्ता-समानाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bāla (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• abālaḥ: not childish; mature
• abālaḥ: Karta (Appositional qualifier/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: a-bāla (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; नञ्-तत्पुरुष (negation): 'not a boy' (i.e., mature)

• abhyuvāca: addressed, spoke to
• abhyuvāca: Kriya (Main action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: abhi-√vac (वच्) (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• mām: me
• mām: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• mama: my
• mama: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, षष्ठी (6th), एकवचन

• maṃdāyate: becomes slow/feeble
• maṃdāyate: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √mand (मन्द्) (धातु)
• Form: लट् (present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन, आत्मनेपद; 'becomes slow/weak'

• vāṇī: speech, voice
• vāṇī: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vāṇī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• praśnaiḥ: by questions
• praśnaiḥ: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: praśna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), बहुवचन

• svalpaiḥ: small, few
• svalpaiḥ: Karana (Instrument qualifier/करण-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: svalpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), बहुवचन; विशेषण (praśnaiḥ)

• tava: your
• tava: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yuṣmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, षष्ठी (6th), एकवचन

• dvija: O twice-born (brahmin)
• dvija: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dvija (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th), एकवचन

• tathāpi: even so, nevertheless
• tathāpi: Sambandha (Concession/व्यतिरेक)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tathā + api (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (concessive adverb): तथापि

• vacmi: I speak
• vacmi: Kriya (Main action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √vac (वच्) (धातु)
• Form: लट् (present), उत्तमपुरुष (1st), एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• mām: me
• mām: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• yasmāt: because, since
• yasmāt: Sambandha (Causal/हेतु)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: यत्-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय (ablatival conjunction): यस्मात् = 'because/since'

• nihīnam: inferior, deficient
• nihīnam: Karma (Object complement/कर्म-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: nihīna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; विशेषण (mām)

• manyate: thinks, considers
• manyate: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √man (मन्) (धातु)
• Form: लट् (present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन, आत्मनेपद

• bhavān: you (sir)
• bhavān: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhavat (भवत्) (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; आदरार्थ-प्रयोग (honorific pronoun)

Speaker

Sutanū

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: The brāhmaṇa questioner (first-person narrator of prior verse)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A radiant boy named Sutanū addresses an elder brāhmaṇa; the boy’s posture is confident yet restrained, suggesting mastery of subtle phonetic doctrine; the brāhmaṇa listens, slightly chastened.

Characters & Entities

• Sutanū
• dvija (brāhmaṇa questioner)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Spiritual authority is measured by insight, not age; humility and clarity guide true instruction.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

None is mentioned in this verse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it introduces the speaker Sutanū and his response.