Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 3

Devanagari script

श्रीसूत उवाच । शृणुध्वं मुनयः सर्वे इतिहासं महाफलम् । पुरा कृतयुगे विप्राः प्रजापतिसुते उभे

Transliteration

śrīsūta uvāca | śṛṇudhvaṃ munayaḥ sarve itihāsaṃ mahāphalam | purā kṛtayuge viprāḥ prajāpatisute ubhe

Translation

Śrī Sūta dit : Écoutez, ô tous les munis, ce récit sacré aux grands fruits. Jadis, au Kṛta Yuga, ô brāhmaṇas, il y eut deux filles de Prajāpati.

Word by Word

• śrī-sūtaḥ: the venerable Sūta
• śrī-sūtaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śrī (प्रातिपदिक) + sūta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समास: कर्मधारय (honorific descriptive) ‘śrī-sūta’; पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा (Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriyā (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular), परस्मैपद (Parasmaipada)

• śṛṇudhvam: listen (all of you)
• śṛṇudhvam: Kriyā (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: śru (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (Imperative), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd person), बहुवचन (Plural), आत्मनेपद (Ātmanepada)

• munayaḥ: sages
• munayaḥ: Karta (Addressee/कर्ता-सम्बोधनार्थ)
• Type: Noun
• Root: muni (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा (Nominative), बहुवचन (Plural)

• sarve: all
• sarve: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा (Nominative), बहुवचन (Plural) — munayaḥ इति विशेषणम्

• itihāsam: story, legend
• itihāsam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: itihāsa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), द्वितीया (Accusative), एकवचन (Singular)

• mahāphalam: greatly fruitful
• mahāphalam: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mahā (प्रातिपदिक) + phala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समास: कर्मधारय ‘mahā-phalam’; नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), द्वितीया (Accusative), एकवचन (Singular) — itihāsam इति विशेषणम्

• purā: formerly
• purā: Kāla (Time/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: purā (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक अव्यय (temporal adverb: ‘formerly’)

• kṛtayuge: in the Kṛta age
• kṛtayuge: Adhikaraṇa (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kṛta (प्रातिपदिक) + yuga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समास: तत्पुरुष ‘kṛta-yuga’; नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), सप्तमी (Locative), एकवचन (Singular)

• viprāḥ: brāhmaṇas
• viprāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vipra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा (Nominative), बहुवचन (Plural)

• prajāpati-sute: two daughters of Prajāpati
• prajāpati-sute: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: prajāpati (प्रातिपदिक) + sutā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समास: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष ‘prajāpateḥ sute’; स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine), प्रथमा (Nominative), द्विवचन (Dual)

• ubhe: both
• ubhe: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ubha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine), प्रथमा (Nominative), द्विवचन (Dual) — sute इति विशेषणम्

Speaker

Sūta

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Ṛṣis

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Sūta begins narration; sages settle into stillness; a faint cosmic backdrop suggests Kṛta Yuga—golden light, orderly nature, and two divine maidens (Prajāpati’s daughters) appearing as a vision.

Characters & Entities

• Sūta
• Ṛṣis
• Kṛta Yuga
• Prajāpati

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Listening to Purāṇic itihāsa with receptivity is itself meritorious and reveals dharma through lineage and events.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The broader Setukhaṇḍa context continues; this verse introduces the backstory supporting Kṣīrakuṇḍa’s māhātmya.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Śravaṇa (devout listening) is implied as the recommended practice for gaining ‘mahāphala’ from the narrative.