Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 17

Devanagari script

सूत उवाच । इदमेव पुराणेऽस्मिन्पुराणपुरुषस्तदा । यदुक्तवान्स विश्वात्मा मनवे तन्निबोधत

Transliteration

sūta uvāca | idameva purāṇe'sminpurāṇapuruṣastadā | yaduktavānsa viśvātmā manave tannibodhata

Translation

Sūta said: “In this very Purāṇa, in former times, the Purāṇa-Puruṣa—the Soul of the universe—spoke to Manu. Hear and understand that teaching.”

Word by Word

• सूतः: Sūta
• सूतः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सूत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (परोक्षभूत/Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• इदम्: this
• इदम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इदम् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• एव: indeed
• एव: Sambandha (Emphasis/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारणार्थक-निपात (emphasis)

• पुराणे: in the Purāṇa
• पुराणे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुराण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7), एकवचन

• अस्मिन्: in this
• अस्मिन्: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इदम् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• पुराणपुरुषः: the Purāṇa-person (personified Purāṇa)
• पुराणपुरुषः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुराण + पुरुष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (पुराणस्य पुरुषः = the Purāṇa-person)

• तदा: then
• तदा: Sambandha (Temporal/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तदा (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (temporal adverb)

• यत्: what/that which
• यत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन; सम्बन्ध-प्रत्यय (relative pronoun)

• उक्तवान्: had said
• उक्तवान्: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: उक्तवत् (कृदन्त); √वच् (धातु)
• Form: क्तवतुप्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (perfect participle/agentive past), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; कर्तरि प्रयोग (having said)

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• विश्वात्मा: the universal self
• विश्वात्मा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विश्व + आत्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; कर्मधारय (विश्वः आत्मा यस्य/विश्वात्मा = universal self)

• मनवे: to Manu
• मनवे: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मनु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (4), एकवचन

• तत्: that
• तत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• निबोधत: understand/learn
• निबोधत: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √बुध् (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (आज्ञार्थ/Imperative), मध्यमपुरुष, बहुवचन, आत्मनेपद; उपसर्ग-नि (nibodhata)

Speaker

Sūta

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Ṛṣis

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Two-layer tableau: foreground Sūta speaking to sages; background visionary vignette of Purāṇa-Puruṣa (cosmic, radiant) instructing Manu seated in contemplation.

Characters & Entities

• Sūta
• Purāṇa-Puruṣa
• Viśvātmā
• Manu

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purāṇic wisdom is sanctified by divine-cosmic authority and is transmitted through ancient lawgivers like Manu for the guidance of humanity.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The setting remains Prabhāsa-kṣetra, but this verse establishes doctrinal authority rather than describing a tīrtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it introduces a forthcoming exposition.