Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 4

Devanagari script

पुरा ब्रह्ममुखाच्छ्रुत्वा नानाव्रतविधानकम् । नारदः परिपप्रच्छ भूयो ब्रह्माणमादरात्

Transliteration

purā brahmamukhācchrutvā nānāvratavidhānakam | nāradaḥ paripapraccha bhūyo brahmāṇamādarāt

Translation

Autrefois, après avoir entendu de la propre bouche de Brahmā les diverses règles et prescriptions des vœux, Nārada interrogea de nouveau Brahmā avec révérence.

Word by Word

• पुरा: formerly
• पुरा: Kala-adhikarana (काल-अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुरा (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (temporal adverb)

• ब्रह्ममुखात्: from Brahmā’s mouth
• ब्रह्ममुखात्: Apadana (अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्मन् + मुख (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (Ablative/5th), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समास (ब्रह्मणः मुखम्)

• श्रुत्वा: having heard
• श्रुत्वा: Purvakala-kriya (पूर्वकाल-क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: श्रु (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय (Gerund/Absolutive), ‘having heard’

• नानाव्रतविधानकम्: the ordinance/description of various vows
• नानाव्रतविधानकम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: नाना + व्रत + विधानक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन; विशेषण (कर्मपदं, श्रुत्वा इत्यस्य); तत्पुरुष-समास (नानाविधानं व्रतानाम्)

• नारदः: Nārada
• नारदः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नारद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन

• परिपप्रच्छ: asked repeatedly/in detail
• परिपप्रच्छ: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्रच्छ् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; उपसर्ग: परि-

• भूयः: again; further
• भूयः: Kriya-vishesana (क्रिया-विशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: भूयस् (अव्यय/निपातवत्)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb), पुनरर्थ/अधिक्यर्थ ‘again/more’

• ब्रह्माणम्: Brahmā
• ब्रह्माणम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन

• आदरात्: out of respect
• आदरात्: Hetu (हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आदर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (Ablative/5th), एकवचन; हेत्वर्थ ‘out of respect’

Speaker

Sūta (narrating the embedded frame story)

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Munis (outer frame)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Nārada, veena in hand, stands with folded palms before four-faced Brahmā seated on a lotus; surrounding are subtle symbols of vows—water pot, kusa grass, lamp, and calendar-like seasonal motifs.

Characters & Entities

• Brahmā
• Nārada

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Reverent questioning (praśna) is honored as a means to clarify dharma and deepen practice.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No tīrtha is specified in this verse; it introduces the Brahmā–Nārada instructional frame for the Cāturmāsya vow.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

It references vrata-vidhāna (procedures of vows) generally; the detailed prescriptions are to follow in the discourse.