Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 5

Devanagari script

श्रीसूत उवाच । आसीद्राजा बृहद्द्युम्नश्चक्रवर्ती महाबलः । धर्मेण पालयामास सागरांतां वसुन्धराम्

Transliteration

śrīsūta uvāca | āsīdrājā bṛhaddyumnaścakravartī mahābalaḥ | dharmeṇa pālayāmāsa sāgarāṃtāṃ vasundharām

Translation

Śrī Sūta berkata: Dahulu ada seorang raja bernama Bṛhaddyumna, seorang cakravartin yang amat perkasa. Dengan dharma ia memerintah bumi yang dibatasi oleh samudra.

Word by Word

• श्रीसूतः: Śrī Sūta
• श्रीसूतः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्री-सूत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन — masculine nominative singular; ‘venerable Sūta’

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (परोक्शभूत/Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद — 3rd person singular perfect, active

• आसीत्: there was
• आसीत्: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √अस् (धातु)
• Form: लङ् (अनद्यतनभूत/Imperfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद — 3rd person singular imperfect, active

• राजा: a king
• राजा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: राजन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन — masculine nominative singular

• बृहद्द्युम्नः: Bṛhaddyumna
• बृहद्द्युम्नः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: बृहत्-द्युम्न (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन — masculine nominative singular (proper name)

• चक्रवर्ती: an emperor (chakravartin)
• चक्रवर्ती: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: चक्र-वर्तिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन — masculine nominative singular; ‘universal monarch’

• महाबलः: mighty, very strong
• महाबलः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महा-बल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन — masculine nominative singular

• धर्मेण: by righteousness
• धर्मेण: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धर्म (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), एकवचन — masculine instrumental singular; साधन/रीति (means/manner)

• पालयामास: ruled/protected
• पालयामास: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √पाल् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (परोक्शभूत/Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद — 3rd person singular perfect, active (periphrastic/आम-प्रयोग)

• सागरान्ताम्: bounded by the ocean
• सागरान्ताम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सागर-अन्त (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन — feminine accusative singular; ‘having the ocean as boundary’

• वसुन्धराम्: the earth
• वसुन्धराम्: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वसुन्धरा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन — feminine accusative singular

Speaker

Sūta

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Ṛṣis

Visual Art Cues

Scene: King Bṛhaddyumna sits in a grand court, calm and powerful, receiving petitions; the earth-map motif ‘bounded by oceans’ is suggested through symbolic waves around a mandala-like realm.

Characters & Entities

• Sūta
• Bṛhaddyumna

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purāṇas uphold rāja-dharma: righteous governance is a sacred duty aligned with cosmic order.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Dhanuṣkoṭi remains the broader topic of the chapter, though this verse introduces the narrative setting.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it is narrative introduction.