Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 3

Devanagari script

दुर्वासा उवाच । पांड्यदेशे पुरा कश्चिद्ब्राह्मणोभूद्बहुश्रुतः

Transliteration

durvāsā uvāca | pāṃḍyadeśe purā kaścidbrāhmaṇobhūdbahuśrutaḥ

Translation

Durvāsā dit : «Autrefois, au pays des Pāṇḍya, vivait un brāhmane, homme d’un grand savoir.»

Word by Word

• दुर्वासा: Durvāsā (the sage)
• दुर्वासा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दुर्वासस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; ऋषिनाम

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

• पाण्ड्यदेशे: in the Pāṇḍya country
• पाण्ड्यदेशे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाण्ड्य-देश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; पाण्ड्यानां देशः

• पुरा: formerly, once
• पुरा: Kāla (Time/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुरा (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (temporal adverb)

• कश्चित्: a certain
• कश्चित्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कश्चित् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; अनिश्चितवाचक (indefinite pronoun)

• ब्राह्मणः: Brahmin
• ब्राह्मणः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्राह्मण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• अभूत्: there was, existed
• अभूत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: लुङ् (Aorist), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• बहुश्रुतः: very learned, well-read
• बहुश्रुतः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: बहु-श्रुत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (qualifier of ब्राह्मणः)

Speaker

Durvāsā

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Sage Durvāsā begins a didactic tale, evoking the distant Pāṇḍya country and introducing a renowned Brāhmaṇa as the protagonist.

Characters & Entities

• Durvāsā
• Pāṇḍya-deśa
• Brāhmaṇa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Learning (bahuśrutatva) is praised, but the narrative implies that true dharma is proven by conduct, not scholarship alone.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

This verse sets the scene in the Pāṇḍya region; the broader Setukhaṇḍa context ultimately relates to Setu (Rāmeśvaram/Setubandha) sacred geography.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None in this verse; it is introductory narration.