Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 39

Devanagari script

नारदः कुरुते चान्यदन्यत्कुर्वंति ब्राह्मणाः । ममापि कौतुकं जातं महर्षे वद सत्वरम्

Transliteration

nāradaḥ kurute cānyadanyatkurvaṃti brāhmaṇāḥ | mamāpi kautukaṃ jātaṃ maharṣe vada satvaram

Translation

„Nārada tut das eine, während die Brāhmaṇas etwas anderes tun. Auch in mir ist Neugier erwacht—o großer ṛṣi, sprich schnell.“

Word by Word

• nāradaḥ: Nārada
• nāradaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nārada (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (masculine, nominative singular)

• kurute: does, performs
• kurute: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kṛ (कृ धातु)
• Form: लट्, आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन (present indicative, 3rd person singular, middle)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• anyat: something else
• anyat: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: anya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन (neuter, accusative singular)

• anyat: something different
• anyat: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: anya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• kurvanti: do
• kurvanti: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kṛ (कृ धातु)
• Form: लट्, परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन (present indicative, 3rd person plural, active)

• brāhmaṇāḥ: Brahmins
• brāhmaṇāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brāhmaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन (masculine, nominative plural)

• mama: my
• mama: Sambandha (Possessor/षष्ठी-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (अस्मद्-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, षष्ठी, एकवचन (pronoun, genitive singular)

• api: also
• api: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय/अपि-कारक-अव्यय (particle: also/even)

• kautukam: curiosity, wonder
• kautukam: Karta (Subject/Predicate nominal/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kautuka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन (neuter, nominative/accusative singular)

• jātam: arisen, occurred
• jātam: Kriya (Result state/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: jan (जन् धातु) + ta (क्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (past passive participle); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; भावे/कर्तरि प्रयोगे ‘उत्पन्नम्’ (PPP; neuter nom/acc sg)

• maharṣe: O great sage
• maharṣe: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: maharṣi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचन (masculine, vocative singular)

• vada: tell, speak
• vada: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vad (वद् धातु)
• Form: लोट्, परस्मैपद, मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन (imperative, 2nd person singular, active)

• satvaram: quickly, at once
• satvaram: Sambandha (Adverbial/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: satvara (प्रातिपदिक/अव्ययीभाववत्)
• Form: क्रियाविशेषण-अव्यय (adverb)

Speaker

Vāmana (addressing Nārada, leading into Nārada’s reply in v.40)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Vastrāpatha-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Mahārṣi (addressed as maharṣe)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A scene of ritual bustle: Nārada moving with purpose, brāhmaṇas engaged in separate ritual tasks; the speaker turns to the sage, eager for a quick explanation.

Characters & Entities

• Vāmana
• Nārada
• Brāhmaṇa
• Maharṣi

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharma is clarified through inquiry; when actions diverge in ritual contexts, seeking explanation preserves right understanding.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Vastrāpatha-kṣetra in Prabhāsa, where discussions among divine and sage figures illuminate dharma connected to the locale.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly; it references brāhmaṇas’ ritual activity in contrast to Nārada’s conduct.