Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 1

Devanagari script

सू उवाच । एवं स्थानानि पुण्यानि यानियानीह वै भुवि । निरीक्षंस्तत्र तत्राहं नारदो वीरसत्तम

Transliteration

sū uvāca | evaṃ sthānāni puṇyāni yāniyānīha vai bhuvi | nirīkṣaṃstatra tatrāhaṃ nārado vīrasattama

Translation

Sūta dit : Ainsi, ayant examiné sur la terre les nombreux lieux saints—chacun d’eux—Nārada, le plus éminent des héros, alla de place en place, en quête de l’excellence suprême.

Word by Word

• सूः: Sūta
• सूः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सू (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; सूत (Sūta)

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• एवम्: thus
• एवम्: Kriyā-viśeṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एवम् (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रकारवाचक-अव्यय (adverb: thus/in this manner)

• स्थानानि: places
• स्थानानि: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्थान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), बहुवचन

• पुण्यानि: holy
• पुण्यानि: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पुण्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), बहुवचन; स्थानानि इति विशेषण

• यानि: which
• यानि: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), बहुवचन; relative pronoun

• यानि: which (various)
• यानि: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), बहुवचन; पुनरुक्ति (emphatic repetition)

• इह: here
• इह: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इह (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (adverb: here)

• वै: indeed
• वै: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वै (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (emphatic/assurance particle)

• भुवि: on earth
• भुवि: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भू (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन; locative

• निरीक्षन्: observing
• निरीक्षन्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: नि + √ईक्ष् (धातु)
• Form: शतृ-प्रत्यय (present active participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; ‘अहम्/नारदः’ इति सह

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (adverb: there)

• तत्र: here and there
• तत्र: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: पुनरुक्त-अव्यय (there and there)

• अहम्: I
• अहम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• नारदः: Nārada
• नारदः: Kartṛ-samānādhikaraṇa (Apposition/समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नारद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; अहम् इति समानााधिकरण

• वीरसत्तम: O best of heroes
• वीरसत्तम: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वीर (प्रातिपदिक) + सत्तम (प्रातिपदिक; superlative)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th), एकवचन; वीर-सत्तम = वीराणां सत्तमः (best of heroes)

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa/Sūta)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Puṇya-sthānāni (collective)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: (Implied) Śaunaka and the Naimiṣāraṇya sages

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Sūta narrating to assembled sages; in an inset, Nārada with vīṇā traveling from one sacred site to another—rivers, temples, mountains appearing like a map of India’s tīrthas.

Characters & Entities

• Sūta
• Nārada

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pilgrimage is presented as deliberate investigation of puṇya-sthānas; sacred travel is a dharmic method to discover transformative tīrthas.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Not yet specified; the verse introduces Nārada’s survey of many holy locations before naming the key tīrtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None directly; the implied practice is tīrtha-yātrā—visiting and assessing sacred places.