Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 24

Devanagari script

सूत उवाच । अहं वः कीर्तयिष्यामि रोहिताश्वस्य भूपतेः । मार्कंडेन पुरा प्रोक्ता पृच्छयमानेन भक्तितः

Transliteration

sūta uvāca | ahaṃ vaḥ kīrtayiṣyāmi rohitāśvasya bhūpateḥ | mārkaṃḍena purā proktā pṛcchayamānena bhaktitaḥ

Translation

Sūta sprach: „Ich will es euch verkünden: die Übung, die einst der große Weise Mārkaṇḍeya dem König Rohitāśva lehrte, als dieser in Hingabe fragte.“

Word by Word

• सूतः: Sūta (the narrator)
• सूतः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sūta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √vac (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular), परस्मैपद

• अहम्: I
• अहम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तम-पुरुष-सर्वनाम, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

• वः: to you / for you
• वः: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yuṣmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: मध्यम-पुरुष-सर्वनाम, चतुर्थी/षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Dative/Genitive), बहुवचन (Plural)

• कीर्तयिष्यामि: I shall narrate/proclaim
• कीर्तयिष्यामि: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √kīrt (धातु)
• Form: लृट्-लकार (Simple Future), उत्तम-पुरुष (1st person), एकवचन (Singular), परस्मैपद

• रोहिताश्वस्य: of Rohitāśva
• रोहिताश्वस्य: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rohitāśva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive), एकवचन (Singular)

• भूपतेः: of the king
• भूपतेः: Apposition/Viśeṣya (Qualifier of Rohitāśva)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhūpati (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive), एकवचन (Singular)

• मार्कण्डेन: by Mārkaṇḍa
• मार्कण्डेन: Karana (Instrument/Agent in passive sense)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mārkaṇḍa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental), एकवचन (Singular)

• पुरा: formerly, once
• पुरा: Kāla (Time/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: purā (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (temporal adverb)

• प्रोक्ता: was spoken/taught
• प्रोक्ता: Kriya (Passive predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra-√vac (धातु) + kta (कृत्-प्रत्यय)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

• पृच्छयमानेन: by (one) who was asking
• पृच्छयमानेन: Karana (Agent in passive sense)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra-√ch (धातु) + śatṛ/śānac (कृत्-प्रत्यय)
• Form: वर्तमानकाले आत्मनेपदी कृदन्त (present middle participle), पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental), एकवचन (Singular)

• भक्तितः: with devotion / out of devotion
• भक्तितः: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: bhakti (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तसिल्-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय (ablatival adverb: 'from/with'), हेतौ/प्रकारे (cause/manner)

Speaker

Sūta

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Brāhmaṇas (assembly)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Forest-āśrama setting: Sūta addressing seated brāhmaṇas; a mental ‘flashback’ panel shows Mārkaṇḍeya instructing King Rohitāśva who sits with folded hands.

Characters & Entities

• Sūta
• Mārkaṇḍeya
• King Rohitāśva

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred observances are best received through devoted inquiry and authentic transmission from revered teachers.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No site is named in this verse; it introduces an authoritative teaching lineage within the Tīrthamāhātmya frame.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

It signals that the forthcoming exposition will detail the Puraścaraṇa Saptamī as taught by Mārkaṇḍeya to Rohitāśva.