Skanda Purana — Vishnu Khanda, Shloka 23

Devanagari script

तं प्रणम्य प्रवक्ष्यामि माहात्म्यं भवदग्रतः । अयोध्याया महापुर्या यथावत्सरहस्यकम्

Transliteration

taṃ praṇamya pravakṣyāmi māhātmyaṃ bhavadagrataḥ | ayodhyāyā mahāpuryā yathāvatsarahasyakam

Translation

Nachdem ich mich vor ihm (Vyāsa) verneigt habe, werde ich vor euch das Māhātmya der großen Stadt Ayodhyā verkünden — rechtgemäß und mitsamt seinem inneren Geheimnis.

Word by Word

• तम्: him
• तम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• प्रणम्य: having bowed
• प्रणम्य: Purvakala (Prior action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र + नम् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय (gerund/absolutive)

• प्रवक्ष्यामि: I shall declare
• प्रवक्ष्यामि: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र + वच् (धातु)
• Form: लृट् (Simple Future), उत्तमपुरुष (1st person), एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• माहात्म्यम्: the sacred greatness
• माहात्म्यम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: माहात्म्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• भवत्-अग्रतः: in your presence
• भवत्-अग्रतः: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: भवत् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + अग्रतस् (अव्यय/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव-समासः; अग्रतस् इति देशवाचक-अव्यय (in front of), भवत्-सम्बन्धेन

• अयोध्यायाः: of Ayodhyā
• अयोध्यायाः: Shashthi-sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अयोध्या (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• महापुर्याः: of the great city
• महापुर्याः: Shashthi-sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महापुरी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (6th/Genitive), एकवचन; समासः कर्मधारयः (महती पुरी)

• यथावत्: properly, in due manner
• यथावत्: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथावत् (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रकारवाचक-अव्यय (adverb: properly, as it should be)

• स-रहस्यम्: together with the secret (esoteric) aspects
• स-रहस्यम्: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स (अव्यय) + रहस्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; समासः अव्ययीभावः (रहस्येन सहितम्); विशेषणम् (माहात्म्यम् इति)

Speaker

Sūta (Romaharṣaṇa/Lomaharṣaṇa)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Ayodhyā

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Tapodhana sages

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Sūta performs a respectful bow (praṇāma) toward Vyāsa (either envisioned or represented by a seat/manuscript), then turns to the sages to begin the Ayodhyā-māhātmya.

Characters & Entities

• Vyāsa
• Ayodhyā
• Sūta

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Reverence to the guru-lineage precedes sacred teaching; māhātmya is to be transmitted accurately and with its deeper meaning.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Ayodhyā, introduced as a mahāpurī whose glory and inner significance will now be expounded.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit rite; the implied dharma is praṇāma (bowing) and attentive hearing prior to tīrtha-instruction.