Skanda Purana — Vishnu Khanda, Shloka 35

Devanagari script

मया तत्र मुनिश्रेष्ठ दृष्टं माहात्म्यमुत्तमम्

Transliteration

mayā tatra muniśreṣṭha dṛṣṭaṃ māhātmyamuttamam

Translation

Dort, o bester der Weisen, schaute ich mit eigenen Augen die höchste Größe (māhātmya).

Word by Word

• मया: by me
• मया: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम (Pronoun), त्रिलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/करण), एकवचन; ‘मया’ = म्-प्रत्ययान्त-तृतीया

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (Indeclinable), स्थानवाचक-अव्यय (locative adverb)

• मुनिश्रेष्ठ: O best of sages
• मुनिश्रेष्ठ: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मुनि (प्रातिपदिक) + श्रेष्ठ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सम्बोधन (Vocative/सम्बोधन), पुंलिङ्ग, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (‘मुनिनां श्रेष्ठः’)

• दृष्टम्: seen
• दृष्टम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश् (धातु) → दृष्ट (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक, क्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; कर्मणि-भावः (seen)

• माहात्म्यम्: greatness, sacred glory
• माहात्म्यम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: माहात्म्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• उत्तमम्: excellent, supreme
• उत्तमम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: उत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (qualifies ‘माहात्म्यम्’)

Speaker

Brahmā (deduced; Vaiṣṇavakhaṇḍa Ayodhyāmāhātmya dialogic style)

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: muniśreṣṭha addressed (and/or vipra interlocutor)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Agastya, composed and authoritative, gestures toward the riverbank as if recalling a witnessed marvel; the background shows the Sarayū ghats shimmering with sacred potency.

Characters & Entities

• muniśreṣṭha

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred places possess a demonstrable māhātmya—spiritual greatness that can be personally witnessed through pilgrimage and faith.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Ayodhyā is being introduced as the setting for an “uttama māhātmya” (supreme sacred greatness).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly in this verse; it serves as a preface to the forthcoming tīrtha account.