Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 30

Devanagari script

कृष्णाजिनोत्तरीयेषु कूर्चेषु च वृसीषु च । सूते च तेषां मध्यस्थं कथयानं कथाः शुभाः

Transliteration

kṛṣṇājinottarīyeṣu kūrceṣu ca vṛsīṣu ca | sūte ca teṣāṃ madhyasthaṃ kathayānaṃ kathāḥ śubhāḥ

Translation

Vêtus de peaux d’antilope noire en manteau, assis sur des nattes de kuśa et des peaux de daim, les sages placèrent le Sūta au milieu, tandis qu’il récitait des récits sacrés et propices.

Word by Word

• कृष्णाजिनोत्तरीयेषु: on/among black-antelope-skin upper garments
• कृष्णाजिनोत्तरीयेषु: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कृष्णाजिन (प्रातिपदिक) + उत्तरीय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुषः: कृष्णाजिनस्य उत्तरीयम् (upper garment of black antelope-skin); नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुंलिङ्ग (अत्र बहुवचन-सप्तमी), सप्तमी (7th), बहुवचन; अधिकरणवाचक

• कूर्चेषु: on seats/cushions (kūrca)
• कूर्चेषु: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कूर्च (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, बहुवचन

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Conjunction/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (समुच्चय)

• वृसीषु: on mats/coverlets (vṛsī)
• वृसीषु: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वृसी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, बहुवचन

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Conjunction/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (समुच्चय)

• सूते: at the sūta (bard/charioteer)
• सूते: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सूता/सूत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन; अधिकरणवाचक (सूते = सूते/सूतस्य समीपे/सूतस्थाने)

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Conjunction/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (समुच्चय)

• तेषाम्: of them
• तेषाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), बहुवचन; सर्वनाम

• मध्यस्थम्: standing/sitting in the middle
• मध्यस्थम्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मध्यस्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; ‘कथयानम्’ इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

• कथयानम्: narrating, telling
• कथयानम्: Karma (Object/कर्म) (of implied ‘dadarśa’)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कथय् (धातु)
• Form: वर्तमानकृदन्त (शानच्/Present middle participle), पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; कर्मपद (object) रूपेण

• कथाः: stories
• कथाः: Karma (Object/कर्म) (of ‘kathayānam’)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कथा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), बहुवचन; ‘कथयानम्’ इत्यस्य कर्म

• शुभाः: auspicious
• शुभाः: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शुभ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचन; ‘कथाः’ इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

Speaker

Narrator (Purāṇic frame, likely Sūta/Lomaharṣaṇa tradition)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Sages/brāhmaṇas in assembly

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Sages in black-antelope skins sit on kuśa mats and deer-skins; in the center sits the Sūta narrator on a slightly raised seat, gesturing as he recites auspicious stories; the assembly forms a respectful circle.

Characters & Entities

• Sūta
• Dvijas (sages/brāhmaṇas)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Holy discourse (śubha-kathā) in a disciplined, ritual setting is itself a purifier and a key vehicle of dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa-kṣetra (Prabhāsatīrtha region), introduced through the māhātmya’s narrative frame.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No direct injunction; it depicts the traditional posture of Purāṇic hearing—sages seated on kuśa/skins with the reciter in the center.