Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 32

Devanagari script

श्रीसूत उवाच । युष्माकमृषयो वक्ष्ये यथोक्तमनृतं रणे । छलेन धर्मपुत्रेण यन्नष्टं रामतीर्थके

Transliteration

śrīsūta uvāca | yuṣmākamṛṣayo vakṣye yathoktamanṛtaṃ raṇe | chalena dharmaputreṇa yannaṣṭaṃ rāmatīrthake

Translation

Śrī Sūta dit : «Ô sages, je vous dirai comment, dans la bataille, une contre-vérité fut prononcée selon ce qui avait été ourdi—par une ruse de Dharmaputra—et comment cette (faute) fut effacée à Rāmatīrtha.»

Word by Word

• श्रीसूतः: Śrī Sūta
• श्रीसूतः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्री (प्रातिपदिक) + सूत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारयसमास (श्रीमान् सूतः), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Main verb/मुख्यक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; धातु: वच्

• युष्माकम्: of you
• युष्माकम्: Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन; सर्वनाम

• ऋषयः: O sages
• ऋषयः: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ऋषि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative/सम्बोधन), बहुवचन

• वक्ष्ये: I shall tell
• वक्ष्ये: Kriya (Main verb/मुख्यक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लृट् (Simple Future), उत्तमपुरुष (1st person), एकवचन; धातु: वच्

• यथोक्तम्: as stated
• यथोक्तम्: Manner (प्रकार)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा (अव्यय) + उक्त (कृदन्त, वच्)
• Form: अव्ययीभावसमास (यथा उक्तम् = as said), अव्ययभावे प्रयोग

• अनृतम्: falsehood
• अनृतम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अनृत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• रणे: in battle
• रणे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• छलेन: by deceit
• छलेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: छल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन

• धर्मपुत्रेण: by Dharma’s son
• धर्मपुत्रेण: Karta (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धर्म (प्रातिपदिक) + पुत्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (धर्मस्य पुत्रः), पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन

• यत्: which
• यत्: Sambandha (Relative connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; सम्बन्धक (relative)

• नष्टम्: was lost/ruined
• नष्टम्: Predicate qualifier (विशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: नश् (धातु)
• Form: क्त (past passive participle), धातु: नश्, नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; यत् इति विशेषणम्

• रामतीर्थके: at Rāma-tīrthaka
• रामतीर्थके: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: राम (प्रातिपदिक) + तीर्थक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष (षष्ठी: रामस्य तीर्थकम्), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

Speaker

Śrī Sūta

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Rāmatīrtha

Type: tirtha

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Ṛṣis

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Sūta addresses the sages, narrating the war stratagem and then the cleansing at Rāmatīrtha; imagery alternates between battlefield tension and the calm of the sea-tīrtha.

Characters & Entities

• Śrī Sūta
• Ṛṣis
• Dharmaputra (Yudhiṣṭhira)
• Rāmatīrtha

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purāṇic tīrthas are presented as living remedies for ethical burdens, even those incurred in complex dharma-situations like war.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Rāmatīrtha in the Setukhaṇḍa, praised as the place where the fault is ‘naṣṭa’—removed.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Implied prāyaścitta through tīrtha association—especially snāna and darśana as described in surrounding verses.