Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 6

Devanagari script

ऋषय ऊचुः । ब्रह्महत्या कथमभूद्वासवस्य पुरा मुने । सीतासरसि स्नानात्कथं मुक्तोऽभवत्तया

Transliteration

ṛṣaya ūcuḥ | brahmahatyā kathamabhūdvāsavasya purā mune | sītāsarasi snānātkathaṃ mukto'bhavattayā

Translation

Les ṛṣis dirent : Comment, jadis, la faute de brahmahatyā advint-elle à Vāsava (Indra), ô sage ? Et comment en fut-il délivré en se baignant dans le lac Sītā-saras ?

Word by Word

• ऋषयः: sages
• ऋषयः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ऋषि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन

• ऊचुः: said
• ऊचुः: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथम-पुरुष, बहुवचन

• ब्रह्महत्या: the sin of brahmin-slaying
• ब्रह्महत्या: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्मन् + हत्या (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (ब्रह्मणः हत्या)

• कथम्: how
• कथम्: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: कथम् (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रश्नार्थक-अव्यय (interrogative adverb)

• अभूत्: arose/occurred
• अभूत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: लुङ्-लकार (Aorist/Imperfective past), प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन

• वासवस्य: of Vāsava (Indra)
• वासवस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वासव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• पुरा: formerly
• पुरा: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुरा (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (temporal adverb)

• मुने: O sage
• मुने: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मुनि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (8th/Vocative), एकवचन

• सीतासरसि: in Sītā-lake
• सीतासरसि: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सीता + सरस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (सरस्), सप्तमी-विभक्ति (7th/Locative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (सीतायाः सरसि)

• स्नानात्: from bathing
• स्नानात्: Hetu/Apadana (Cause/Source/हेतु/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्नान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (5th/Ablative), एकवचन

• कथम्: how
• कथम्: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: कथम् (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रश्नार्थक-अव्यय (interrogative adverb)

• मुक्तः: freed
• मुक्तः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मुक्त (कृदन्त; मुच्-धातु)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त/PPP), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• अभवत्: became/was
• अभवत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: लङ्-लकार (Imperfect), प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन

• तया: by that (bathing/that act)
• तया: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन

Speaker

Ṛṣis (sages) addressing Sūta

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Sītā-saras

Type: kund

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Sūta (as the immediate addressee of the sages’ question)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A forest-āśrama setting: gathered ṛṣis respectfully question the narrator about Indra’s brahmahatyā and the liberating bath at Sītā-saras; the tīrtha is hinted as a luminous lotus-filled lake.

Characters & Entities

• Ṛṣis
• Vāsava (Indra)
• Sītā-saras
• brahmahatyā

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purāṇic tīrtha-māhātmya often teaches through narrative: even severe moral defilements are addressed through repentance and sanctified rites.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Sītā-saras, explicitly linked to release from brahmahatyā through snāna.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Snāna at Sītā-saras is highlighted as the means of liberation from the stated sin.