Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 3

Devanagari script

ऋषय ऊचुः । कालभैरवरुद्रस्य ब्रह्महत्या महामुने । किमर्थमभवत्सूत तन्नो वक्तुमिहार्हसि

Transliteration

ṛṣaya ūcuḥ | kālabhairavarudrasya brahmahatyā mahāmune | kimarthamabhavatsūta tanno vaktumihārhasi

Translation

Les ṛṣis dirent : Ô grand sage, pour quelle raison la brahmahatyā s’abattit-elle sur Kālabhairava-Rudra ? Ô Sūta, daigne nous l’expliquer ici.

Word by Word

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

• ऊचुः: said
• ऊचुः: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• कालभैरवरुद्रस्य: of Kālabhairava-Rudra
• कालभैरवरुद्रस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कालभैरव (प्रातिपदिक) + रुद्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (कालभैरवः एव रुद्रः / कालभैरव-रुद्रस्य)

• ब्रह्महत्या: the brahmin-slaying (sin)
• ब्रह्महत्या: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्महत्या (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (ब्रह्मणः हत्या)

• महामुने: O great sage
• महामुने: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महा (प्रातिपदिक) + मुनि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative), एकवचन; समासः—कर्मधारयः (महान् मुनिः)

• किमर्थम्: why / for what reason
• किमर्थम्: Question (प्रश्न)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + अर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: प्रश्नार्थक-अव्यय; समासः—अव्ययीभावः (किमर्थम् = केन अर्थेन/why)

• अभवत्: arose / happened
• अभवत्: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: लङ् (Imperfect/Past), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• सूत: O Sūta
• सूत: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सूत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative), एकवचन

• तत्: that
• तत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• नः: to us / of us
• नः: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन (enclitic)

• वक्तुम्: to tell
• वक्तुम्: Prayojana (Purpose/प्रयोजन)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: तुमुन्-प्रत्ययान्त (Infinitive), परस्मैपद-भावः

• इह: here / now
• इह: Desha/Time adverb (देश/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इह (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (adverb: here/now)

• अर्हसि: you ought / you are able
• अर्हसि: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अर्ह् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

Speaker

Ṛṣis (assembled sages)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Śivatīrtha (contextual)

Type: kund

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Śrī Sūta

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A circle of sages with matted hair and deer-skins, seated in a forest-hermitage near a sacred water; they respectfully question Sūta about the cause of Kālabhairava’s brahmahatyā.

Characters & Entities

• Ṛṣis
• Sūta
• Kālabhairava-Rudra
• Brahmahatyā

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purāṇic teaching is transmitted through inquiry—questions about sin and purification open the way to sacred geography and dharma instruction.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The question prepares the tīrtha-māhātmya explanation connected to the Setukhaṇḍa bathing place where Kālabhairava was purified.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None in this verse; it is a request for the backstory.