Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 5

Devanagari script

सूत उवाच । प्रश्नभारो महानेष भवद्भिः समुदाहृतः । तथापि कथयिष्यामि नमस्कृत्वा स्वयंभुवम्

Transliteration

sūta uvāca | praśnabhāro mahāneṣa bhavadbhiḥ samudāhṛtaḥ | tathāpi kathayiṣyāmi namaskṛtvā svayaṃbhuvam

Translation

Sūta sprach: Groß ist die Last der Fragen, die ihr aufgeworfen habt. Dennoch werde ich berichten, nachdem ich mich zuerst vor dem selbstgeborenen Herrn (Svayambhū) verneigt habe.

Word by Word

• sūtaḥ: Sūta
• sūtaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sūta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्ता

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• praśna-bhāraḥ: the burden of questions
• praśna-bhāraḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: praśna (प्रातिपदिक) + bhāra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्ता/विषय

• mahān: great
• mahān: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mahat (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषणम् praśna-bhāraḥ प्रति

• eṣaḥ: this
• eṣaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: etad (प्रातिपदिक सर्वनाम)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; निर्देश

• bhavadbhiḥ: by you (honored ones)
• bhavadbhiḥ: Karana (Agent/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhavat (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन; करण/कर्तृ-निर्देश

• samudāhṛtaḥ: has been raised/put forth
• samudāhṛtaḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sam-ud-√hṛ (धातु)
• Form: क्त (PPP), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; praśna-bhāraḥ-विशेषण

• tathā: thus; even so
• tathā: Sambandha (Adverbial/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tathā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb)

• api: even; nevertheless
• api: Sambandha (Concession/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (concessive particle)

• kathayiṣyāmi: I will narrate
• kathayiṣyāmi: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √kath (धातु) (णिच् causative: kathaya-)
• Form: लृट् (Simple Future/भविष्यत्), उत्तमपुरुष (1st), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• namaskṛtvā: having bowed; after saluting
• namaskṛtvā: Sambandha (Prior action/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: namas-√kṛ (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्यय (absolutive/gerund), अव्ययभाव; पूर्वक्रिया

• svayaṃbhuvam: the Self-born (Lord)
• svayaṃbhuvam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: svayaṃbhu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; कर्म (namaskṛtvā)

Speaker

Sūta

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Śrīhāṭakeśvara-kṣetra (context continuing)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Ṛṣis

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Sūta with folded hands (añjali) bowing inwardly before speaking; a subtle, formless radiance above (Svayambhū) rather than a fully anthropomorphic deity; sages attentive in a semicircle.

Characters & Entities

• Sūta
• Svayaṃbhū (Self-born Lord)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred narration begins with humility and invocation—knowledge is transmitted as an act of devotion, not mere information.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The ongoing account pertains to the Śrīhāṭakeśvara-kṣetra Māhātmya where Kaṃsāreśvara is situated.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

An implicit prescription: begin teaching or sacred storytelling after offering namaskāra (reverent salutation) to the divine.