Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 3

Devanagari script

ऋषय ऊचुः । पितरं हतवान्पूर्वं कथं सूत परावसुः

Transliteration

ṛṣaya ūcuḥ | pitaraṃ hatavānpūrvaṃ kathaṃ sūta parāvasuḥ

Translation

Les ṛṣi dirent : Ô Sūta, comment Parāvasu, jadis, en vint-il à tuer son père ?

Word by Word

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

• ऊचुः: said
• ऊचुः: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (परोक्शभूत/Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन, परस्मैपद — 3rd person plural perfect, active

• पितरम्: (his) father
• पितरम्: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पितृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन — masculine accusative singular

• हतवान्: killed
• हतवान्: Kriya (Predicate-participle/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √हन् (धातु)
• Form: क्तवतु-प्रत्ययान्त (past active participle); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन — masculine nominative singular, ‘having killed’

• पूर्वम्: previously
• पूर्वम्: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पूर्व (प्रातिपदिक/अव्ययीभावप्रयोग)
• Form: अव्यय (कालवाचक क्रियाविशेषण) — indeclinable adverb ‘formerly/earlier’

• कथम्: how
• कथम्: Prashna (Interrogative/प्रश्न)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: कथम् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (प्रश्नार्थक क्रियाविशेषण) — interrogative adverb ‘how’

• सूत: O Sūta
• सूत: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सूत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th), एकवचन — masculine vocative singular

• परावसुः: Parāvasu
• परावसुः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: परावसु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन — masculine nominative singular

Speaker

Ṛṣis (Sages)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Dhanuṣkoṭi (contextual)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Sūta

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A circle of forest-dwelling sages, seated on kuśa grass, address Sūta with raised hands in respectful inquiry; the atmosphere is contemplative, preparing for a moral-tinged tale.

Characters & Entities

• Ṛṣis
• Sūta
• Parāvasu

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Scriptural inquiry (praśna) opens the way for dharmic clarification and the revelation of tīrtha-mahātmyas.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Dhanuṣkoṭi is the contextual focus, though this verse is a narrative question.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it is a question initiating the backstory.