Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 17

Devanagari script

सूत उवाच । तस्यास्तद्वचनं श्रुत्वा ध्यात्वा च सुचिरं मुनिः । अब्रवीत्प्रहसन्वाक्यं कण्वो वेदविदां वरः

Transliteration

sūta uvāca | tasyāstadvacanaṃ śrutvā dhyātvā ca suciraṃ muniḥ | abravītprahasanvākyaṃ kaṇvo vedavidāṃ varaḥ

Translation

Sūta sprach: Als der Weise ihre Worte vernommen hatte, sann er lange nach; dann sprach Kaṇva, der Vorzüglichste unter den Kennern der Veden, lächelnd.

Word by Word

• सूतः: Sūta
• सूतः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सूत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन

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

• तस्याः: of her
• तस्याः: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (प्रातिपदिक/सर्वनाम)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6), एकवचन; सर्वनाम (of her)

• तत्: that
• तत्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तद् (प्रातिपदिक/सर्वनाम)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन; सर्वनाम-विशेषण (that)

• वचनम्: speech / words
• वचनम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वचन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन

• श्रुत्वा: having heard
• श्रुत्वा: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Verb
• Root: श्रु (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund), अव्ययभाव; (having heard)

• ध्यात्वा: having reflected
• ध्यात्वा: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ध्यै (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund), अव्ययभाव; (having meditated/thought)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक अव्यय (conjunction)

• सुचिरम्: for a long time
• सुचिरम्: Kala-adhikarana (Temporal/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सु-चिर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: क्रियाविशेषणरूपेण नपुंसक-एकवचन (adverbial accusative): very long (time)

• मुनिः: the sage
• मुनिः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मुनि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन

• अब्रवीत्: spoke
• अब्रवीत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ब्रू (धातु)
• Form: लङ् (अनद्यतनभूत/Imperfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• प्रहसन्: smiling
• प्रहसन्: Karta (Agent as qualifier/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र-हस् (धातु)
• Form: शतृ (वर्तमान कृदन्त/Present participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; (smiling/laughing)

• वाक्यम्: statement
• वाक्यम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वाक्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन

• कण्वः: Kaṇva
• कण्वः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कण्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन

• वेदविदाम्: of the Veda-knowers
• वेदविदाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वेद-विद् (प्रातिपदिक); घटक: वेद (प्रातिपदिक) + विद् (कृदन्त/प्रातिपदिक ‘knower’)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6), बहुवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (of the knowers of the Veda)

• वरः: the best
• वरः: Karta (Apposition/कर्ता-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa/ Ugraśravas, the Purāṇic narrator)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: (Primary) Śaunaka and the Naimiṣāraṇya ṛṣis (standard Sūta audience, implied)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Sūta narrates: Kaṇva hears the woman’s words, meditates long, then replies with a gentle smile—setting a compassionate, authoritative tone for the explanation to come.

Characters & Entities

• Sūta
• Kaṇva
• Veda

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

True teaching is deliberate: the sage reflects before answering, showing that dharma is conveyed with discernment, not haste.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The episode is part of the Prabhāsa-kṣetra māhātmya narration, contributing to the sacred aura of Prabhāsa through exemplary dharma dialogue.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it introduces the authoritative response of Sage Kaṇva.