Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 5

Devanagari script

सूत उवाच । एतावदेव मर्त्यानां परं श्रेयः सनातनम् । यदीश्वरकथायां वै जाता भक्तिरहैतुकी

Transliteration

sūta uvāca | etāvadeva martyānāṃ paraṃ śreyaḥ sanātanam | yadīśvarakathāyāṃ vai jātā bhaktirahaitukī

Translation

Sūta said: “This alone is the highest, eternal good for mortals—when, through discourse on the Lord, causeless devotion arises.”

Word by Word

• सूतः: Sūta (the narrator)
• सूतः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सूत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन

• एतावत्: this much; so much
• एतावत्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: एतावत् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (1st/2nd), एकवचन; परिमाणवाचक विशेषण

• एव: indeed; only
• एव: Sambandha/Emphasis (सम्बन्ध/निश्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: निश्चयार्थक-अव्यय (particle of emphasis)

• मर्त्यानाम्: of mortals
• मर्त्यानाम्: Shashthi-sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मर्त्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन

• परम्: supreme; highest
• परम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (1st/2nd), एकवचन; विशेषण

• श्रेयः: the highest good
• श्रेयः: Karta/Predicate-noun (कर्ता/विधेय)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्रेयस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• सनातनम्: eternal
• सनातनम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सनातन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (1st/2nd), एकवचन; विशेषण

• यदि: if
• यदि: Sambandha (Clause linker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यदि (अव्यय)
• Form: शर्तार्थक-अव्यय (conditional conjunction)

• ईश्वरकथायाम्: in the discourse/story of the Lord
• ईश्वरकथायाम्: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ईश्वर + कथा (प्रातिपदिक); ईश्वरकथा (समास)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (7th/Locative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (ईश्वरस्य कथा)

• वै: indeed
• वै: Emphasis (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वै (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (emphatic particle)

• जाता: has arisen; is born
• जाता: Kriya (Predicative/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: जन् (धातु) + त (कृत्-प्रत्यय)
• Form: भूतकृत् (क्त-प्रत्यय) कृदन्त; स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्तरि प्रयोग (past participle: 'arisen')

• भक्तिः: devotion
• भक्तिः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भक्ति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• अहैतुकी: causeless; unmotivated
• अहैतुकी: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अ + हेतु + की (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; नञ्-समासार्थक विशेषण (without motive/cause)

Speaker

Sūta

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Ṛṣis (Naimiṣāraṇya frame implied)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Sūta, seated in a sacred assembly, proclaims that the highest good is the arising of causeless devotion through discourse on the Lord; listeners sit attentive in a forest-āśrama setting.

Characters & Entities

• Sūta
• Īśvara (the Lord)
• Bhakti
• Kathā

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The supreme welfare of human life is ahaitukī bhakti—pure devotion born from hearing and contemplating the Lord’s kathā.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific tīrtha is mentioned; the verse teaches a universal purāṇic dharma of devotion through sacred narration.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Engagement in īśvara-kathā (listening/recitation) is the implied sādhana leading to devotion.