Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 5

Devanagari script

सतां चरित्रश्रवणे कौतुकं कस्य नो भवेत् । उग्रश्रवा उवाच । साधु पृष्टमिदं विप्रा दूरांतरितमप्युत

Transliteration

satāṃ caritraśravaṇe kautukaṃ kasya no bhavet | ugraśravā uvāca | sādhu pṛṣṭamidaṃ viprā dūrāṃtaritamapyuta

Translation

Who would not feel eagerness on hearing the lives of the virtuous? Ugraśravā said: Well asked, O brāhmaṇas—though the matter lies far back in time.

Word by Word

• satām: of the good (people)
• satām: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sat (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन (Plural)

• caritra-śravaṇe: in the hearing of (their) deeds
• caritra-śravaṇe: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: caritra (प्रातिपदिक) + śravaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन (Singular); षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (caritrasya śravaṇam)

• kautukam: curiosity, delight
• kautukam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kautuka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

• kasya: of whom
• kasya: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kim (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन (Singular)

• naḥ: not
• naḥ: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक-अव्यय (negative particle)

• bhavet: would be
• bhavet: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: bhū (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular), परस्मैपद

• ugraśravāḥ: Ugraśravas
• ugraśravāḥ: Karta (Speaker/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ugraśravas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular), परस्मैपद

• sādhu: well; good
• sādhu: Sambandha (Discourse marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sādhu (अव्यय/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: प्रशंसार्थक-अव्यय (indeclinable of approval)

• pṛṣṭam: asked
• pṛṣṭam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pṛcch (धातु) → pṛṣṭa (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (Nom/Acc), एकवचन (Singular)

• idam: this
• idam: Visheshya (Correlative/विशेष्य)
• Type: Noun
• Root: idam (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (Nom/Acc), एकवचन (Singular)

• viprāḥ: O brāhmaṇas
• viprāḥ: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vipra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन (Plural); संबोधनार्थे प्रयोगः (address)

• dūra-antaritam: long-separated; long ago
• dūra-antaritam: Visheshana (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dūra (प्रातिपदिक) + antarita (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (Nom/Acc), एकवचन (Singular); कर्मधारयः (dūram antaritam)

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

• uta: and; moreover
• uta: Sambandha (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: uta (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-अव्यय (conjunctive particle)

Speaker

Ugraśravā (Sūta)

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: brāhmaṇas (viprāḥ)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A purāṇic storyteller (Ugraśravas) addresses assembled brāhmaṇas; the mood is anticipatory, with listeners leaning forward in eagerness to hear ancient virtuous deeds.

Characters & Entities

• Ugraśravā
• Viprāḥ (sages/brāhmaṇas)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Śravaṇa (devout listening) to the deeds of the righteous naturally kindles devotion and dharmic inspiration.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No tīrtha is mentioned; the verse praises the value of hearing sacred narratives.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Implied practice is śravaṇa (listening to purāṇic accounts), though no formal rite is specified.