Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 46

Devanagari script

विस्मयो हि न कर्तव्यो ह्यनुमानं हि तत्तथा । असंभाव्यं हि लोकानां पुराणे यत्प्रगीयते

Transliteration

vismayo hi na kartavyo hyanumānaṃ hi tattathā | asaṃbhāvyaṃ hi lokānāṃ purāṇe yatpragīyate

Translation

«Il ne faut pas s’abandonner à l’étonnement, car le raisonnement lui-même s’accorde à cela. Ce que chantent les Purāṇa paraît souvent impossible aux gens ordinaires.»

Word by Word

• विस्मयः: astonishment
• विस्मयः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विस्मय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• हि: indeed
• हि: Avyaya (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle)

• न: not
• न: Avyaya (Negation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक-अव्यय (negation particle)

• कर्तव्यः: to be done; should be (i.e., should be made)
• कर्तव्यः: Vidhi/Predicate (Obligation)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कृ (धातु) + तव्यत् (प्रत्यय)
• Form: कृत्य-प्रत्ययान्त (gerundive/obligatory), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विधेय-विशेषण (predicate adjective)

• हि: indeed
• हि: Avyaya (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle)

• अनुमानम्: inference
• अनुमानम्: Karta/Topic (Subject/Topic)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अनुमान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (1st/2nd Nom/Acc), एकवचन

• हि: indeed
• हि: Avyaya (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle)

• तत्: that
• तत्: Anaphoric/Topic
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (1st/2nd Nom/Acc), एकवचन

• तथा: thus; in that way
• तथा: Avyaya (Manner)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रकारवाचक-अव्यय (adverb of manner)

• असंभाव्यम्: impossible; not credible
• असंभाव्यम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अ-सम्-भाव्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (1st/2nd Nom/Acc), एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifying implied ‘tat’)

• हि: indeed
• हि: Avyaya (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle)

• लोकानाम्: of people
• लोकानाम्: Shashthi-sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लोक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन

• पुराणे: in the Purāṇa
• पुराणे: Adhikarana (Location/Domain)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुराण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• यत्: which; what
• यत्: Sambandha (Relative)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (1st/2nd Nom/Acc), एकवचन; सम्बन्धक (relative)

• प्रगीयते: is sung/proclaimed
• प्रगीयते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र-गै (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; आत्मनेपद; कर्मणि प्रयोग (passive)

Speaker

Śiva (implied continuation from Deveśa’s reply)

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Pārvatī

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Śiva speaks with calm authority; behind him, a faint symbolic tableau shows ‘ordinary people’ doubting while a luminous śāstra-scroll radiates, indicating Purāṇic proclamation transcending common disbelief.

Characters & Entities

• Purāṇa
• Anumāna (inference)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purāṇic teachings ask for a balance: do not dismiss sacred claims as mere impossibility; align reason with scriptural insight.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Indirectly, the Revā/Narmadā tīrtha-mahātmya is defended against doubt by appealing to Purāṇic authority.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it addresses the attitude (shraddhā vs. disbelief) with which tīrtha-glories are to be approached.