Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 8

Devanagari script

श्रीसूत उवाच । शेषावतारो भगवान्बलभद्रः पुरा द्विजाः

Transliteration

śrīsūta uvāca | śeṣāvatāro bhagavānbalabhadraḥ purā dvijāḥ

Translation

Śrī Sūta dit : « Ô brāhmaṇas, jadis le bienheureux Balabhadra fut une incarnation de Śeṣa. »

Word by Word

• śrī-sūtaḥ: Śrī Sūta
• śrī-sūtaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śrī (प्रातिपदिक) + sūta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्मधारय (श्रीमान् सूतः)

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √vac (वच् धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• śeṣa-avatāraḥ: the incarnation of Śeṣa
• śeṣa-avatāraḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śeṣa (प्रातिपदिक) + avatāra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (शेषस्य अवतारः)

• bhagavān: the Blessed Lord
• bhagavān: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhagavat (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• balabhadraḥ: Balabhadra
• balabhadraḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: balabhadra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• purā: formerly
• purā: Kala (Time/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: purā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक-अव्यय

• dvijāḥ: O twice-born (brāhmaṇas)
• dvijāḥ: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dvija (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; सम्बोधन/प्रथमा-बहुवचन; संबोधनार्थे प्रयोगः

Speaker

Sūta

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Lakṣmaṇa-tīrtha (contextual)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Brāhmaṇas/Ṛṣis

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Sūta narrates; behind him a visionary tableau: Balabhadra with serpent-canopy symbolism or subtle Ananta motif, indicating Śeṣa-incarnation, set against a sacred coastal horizon.

Characters & Entities

• Sūta
• Balabhadra
• Śeṣa (Ādiśeṣa)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purāṇas frame tīrtha-māhātmya within divine history: exalted beings also model pilgrimage and purification.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Indirectly, the Lakṣmaṇa-tīrtha/Lakṣmaṇeśvara context is being prepared by introducing Balabhadra’s sacred identity.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None in this verse; it is narrative identification (avatāra-kathana).