Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 3

Devanagari script

मुनय ऊचुः । क्षीरकुंडस्य माहात्म्यं श्रोतुमिच्छामहे मुने । यत्समीपे त्वया चक्रतीर्थमित्युदितं पुरा

Transliteration

munaya ūcuḥ | kṣīrakuṃḍasya māhātmyaṃ śrotumicchāmahe mune | yatsamīpe tvayā cakratīrthamityuditaṃ purā

Translation

Les sages dirent : Ô muni, nous désirons entendre la grandeur de Kṣīrakuṇḍa, près duquel tu as jadis évoqué le Cakra-tīrtha.

Word by Word

• munayaḥ: sages
• munayaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: muni (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), बहुवचन (Plural)

• ūcuḥ: said
• ūcuḥ: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन (Plural)

• kṣīrakuṃḍasya: of the Milk-pond
• kṣīrakuṃḍasya: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kṣīra + kuṃḍa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/6th), एकवचन (Singular)

• māhātmyam: the greatness, glory
• māhātmyam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: māhātmya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular)

• śrotum: to hear
• śrotum: Prayojana (Purpose/प्रयोजन)
• Type: Verb
• Root: śru (धातु)
• Form: तुमुन्-प्रत्ययान्त (Infinitive), अर्थः—श्रवणम् (to hear)

• icchāmahe: we wish
• icchāmahe: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: iṣ (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), उत्तम-पुरुष (1st person), बहुवचन (Plural), आत्मनेपद (Ātmanepada)

• mune: O sage
• mune: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: muni (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative), एकवचन (Singular)

• yat: in which / near which
• yat: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन (Singular)

• samīpe: near, in the vicinity
• samīpe: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: samīpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन (Singular)

• tvayā: by you
• tvayā: Karana (Instrument/Agent-instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tvam (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: एकवचन (Singular), तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd)

• cakratīrtham: the Cakra-tīrtha
• cakratīrtham: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: cakra + tīrtha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular)

• iti: thus, as
• iti: Vacana-marker (Quotation/इति)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iti (अव्यय)
• Form: इति-शब्दः (quotative particle)

• uditam: was said/declared
• uditam: Karma (Predicate participle/कर्मणि)
• Type: Verb
• Root: udita (कृदन्त; √vad/√ud? as 'said/uttered' from √vad with ud- prefix in usage)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (Past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), प्रथमा/द्वितीया (Nom./Acc.), एकवचन (Singular)

• purā: formerly, earlier
• purā: Kala (Time/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: purā (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (temporal adverb)

Speaker

Sages of Naimiṣāraṇya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kṣīrakuṇḍa (adjacent to Cakra-tīrtha)

Type: kund

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Munis (sages)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A forest hermitage assembly: sages seated in a semicircle, respectfully questioning the narrator about Kṣīrakuṇḍa near Cakra-tīrtha; palm-leaf manuscripts and a calm sacred ambience.

Characters & Entities

• Kṣīrakuṇḍa
• Cakra-tīrtha
• Sages

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Spiritual progress is guided by inquiry into tīrtha-glories; seekers ask for the māhātmya of places that uplift dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kṣīrakuṇḍa is introduced as the next tīrtha whose greatness will be narrated, linked geographically to Cakra-tīrtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly; the verse is a request to hear the māhātmya, which typically leads to instructions on snāna, dāna, and worship.