Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 1

Devanagari script

सूत उवाच । एतत्पुराणमखिलं पुरा स्कन्देनभाषितम् । भृगवे ब्रह्मपुत्राय तस्माल्लेभे तथांगिराः

Transliteration

sūta uvāca | etatpurāṇamakhilaṃ purā skandenabhāṣitam | bhṛgave brahmaputrāya tasmāllebhe tathāṃgirāḥ

Translation

Sūta sprach: „Einst verkündete Skanda dieses gesamte Purāṇa dem Bhṛgu, dem Sohn Brahmās; und von ihm empfing es auch Aṅgirā.“

Word by Word

• sūtaḥ: Sūta
• sūtaḥ: Karta (Speaker/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sūta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (कर्ता), एकवचन — Nominative singular

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √vac (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (परोक्षभूत), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद — Perfect 3rd sg.

• etat: this
• etat: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: etad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन — Demonstrative adjective qualifying purāṇam

• purāṇam: Purāṇa
• purāṇam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: purāṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (कर्म), एकवचन — Accusative singular

• akhilam: entire/complete
• akhilam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: akhila (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन — Accusative singular; विशेषण of purāṇam

• purā: formerly/once
• purā: Kāla (Time/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: purā (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय — adverb of time

• skandena: by Skanda
• skandena: Kartr̥ (Agent in passive/कर्तृ)
• Type: Noun
• Root: skanda (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (कर्ता/करण), एकवचन — Instrumental singular (agent in passive)

• bhāṣitam: spoken/uttered
• bhāṣitam: Kriya (Passive predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √bhāṣ (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (भूतकर्मणि/भूतकालिक), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन — Past passive participle qualifying purāṇam

• bhṛgave: to Bhṛgu
• bhṛgave: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhṛgu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी-विभक्ति (सम्प्रदान), एकवचन — Dative singular

• brahma-putrāya: to the son of Brahmā
• brahma-putrāya: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brahma-putra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी-विभक्ति (सम्प्रदान), एकवचन — Dative singular; समास: ब्रह्मणः पुत्रः

• tasmāt: from him/thereafter
• tasmāt: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (अपादान), एकवचन — Ablative singular

• lebhe: obtained/received
• lebhe: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √labh (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (परोक्षभूत), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, आत्मनेपद — Perfect 3rd sg. (middle)

• tathā: thus/then
• tathā: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tathā (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रकार/अनुक्रमार्थक-अव्यय — adverb

• aṃgirāḥ: Aṅgirā (the sage)
• aṃgirāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: aṅgiras (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (कर्ता), एकवचन — Nominative singular (ऋषिनाम)

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa/Sūta narrator)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Sūta in a forest assembly (Naimiṣa-like), recounting how Skanda taught Bhṛgu; a subtle vision of Skanda as divine youth teaching sages; layered narrative frame.

Characters & Entities

• Sūta
• Skanda
• Bhṛgu
• Brahmā
• Aṅgiras

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred knowledge is preserved through paramparā (lineage), grounding the Purāṇa’s authority in revered transmitters.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No single tīrtha is named; the verse introduces textual lineage rather than a location.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Implicitly, purāṇa-śravaṇa/recitation is validated by naming the authoritative lineage; no specific rite is detailed.