Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 9

Devanagari script

कथितं पूर्वतो वृत्तैः पारम्पर्येण भारत

Transliteration

kathitaṃ pūrvato vṛttaiḥ pāramparyeṇa bhārata

Translation

«Ô Bhārata, cela a été raconté depuis les temps anciens par ceux qui maîtrisent le récit, selon une lignée ininterrompue de tradition».

Word by Word

• कथितम्: told/narrated
• कथितम्: Kriyā (Participial predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कथ् (धातु)
• Form: क्त (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; कर्मणि प्रयोगे ‘told’

• पूर्वतः: formerly/earlier
• पूर्वतः: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverb)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पूर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तसिल्-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय (adverb)

• वृत्तैः: by the elders/learned (tradition-bearers)
• वृत्तैः: Karaṇa (Agent-instrument in passive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वृत्त (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक, √वृत्)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन; ‘वृत्त’ = वृत्तान्तज्ञ/वृद्ध (elders/learned) अर्थे

• पारम्पर्येण: through tradition/succession
• पारम्पर्येण: Karaṇa (Means)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पारम्पर्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन

• भारत: O Bhārata
• भारत: Sambodhana (Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भारत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative), एकवचन

Speaker

Mārkaṇḍeya

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: the king addressed as ‘Bhārata’

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A visual ‘chain’ of sages appears behind Mārkaṇḍeya—silhouettes of earlier narrators—signifying the lineage of telling; the king is addressed as ‘Bhārata’ in a solemn, authoritative tone.

Characters & Entities

• Bhārata (addressee)
• pāramparya (tradition)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharma is safeguarded through pāramparya—faithful transmission from earlier teachers—so the listener may trust the narrative’s moral authority.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

None is specified in this verse; it emphasizes the legitimacy of the tradition behind the story.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; the focus is on lineage of teaching rather than a rite.