Skanda Purana — Vishnu Khanda, Shloka 23

Devanagari script

तं प्रणम्य प्रवक्ष्यामि माहात्म्यं भवदग्रतः । अयोध्याया महापुर्या यथावत्सरहस्यकम्

Transliteration

taṃ praṇamya pravakṣyāmi māhātmyaṃ bhavadagrataḥ | ayodhyāyā mahāpuryā yathāvatsarahasyakam

Translation

Après m’être prosterné devant lui (Vyāsa), je déclarerai devant vous le māhātmya de la grande cité d’Ayodhyā, comme il convient, avec son sens intérieur.

Word by Word

• तम्: him
• तम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• प्रणम्य: having bowed
• प्रणम्य: Purvakala (Prior action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र + नम् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय (gerund/absolutive)

• प्रवक्ष्यामि: I shall declare
• प्रवक्ष्यामि: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र + वच् (धातु)
• Form: लृट् (Simple Future), उत्तमपुरुष (1st person), एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• माहात्म्यम्: the sacred greatness
• माहात्म्यम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: माहात्म्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• भवत्-अग्रतः: in your presence
• भवत्-अग्रतः: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: भवत् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + अग्रतस् (अव्यय/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव-समासः; अग्रतस् इति देशवाचक-अव्यय (in front of), भवत्-सम्बन्धेन

• अयोध्यायाः: of Ayodhyā
• अयोध्यायाः: Shashthi-sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अयोध्या (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• महापुर्याः: of the great city
• महापुर्याः: Shashthi-sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महापुरी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (6th/Genitive), एकवचन; समासः कर्मधारयः (महती पुरी)

• यथावत्: properly, in due manner
• यथावत्: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथावत् (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रकारवाचक-अव्यय (adverb: properly, as it should be)

• स-रहस्यम्: together with the secret (esoteric) aspects
• स-रहस्यम्: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स (अव्यय) + रहस्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; समासः अव्ययीभावः (रहस्येन सहितम्); विशेषणम् (माहात्म्यम् इति)

Speaker

Sūta (Romaharṣaṇa/Lomaharṣaṇa)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Ayodhyā

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Tapodhana sages

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Sūta performs a respectful bow (praṇāma) toward Vyāsa (either envisioned or represented by a seat/manuscript), then turns to the sages to begin the Ayodhyā-māhātmya.

Characters & Entities

• Vyāsa
• Ayodhyā
• Sūta

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Reverence to the guru-lineage precedes sacred teaching; māhātmya is to be transmitted accurately and with its deeper meaning.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Ayodhyā, introduced as a mahāpurī whose glory and inner significance will now be expounded.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit rite; the implied dharma is praṇāma (bowing) and attentive hearing prior to tīrtha-instruction.