Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 4

Devanagari script

युधिष्ठिर उवाच । आदित्यस्य सुतौ तात नासत्यौ येन हेतुना । संजातौ श्रोतुमिच्छामि निर्णयं परमं द्विज

Transliteration

yudhiṣṭhira uvāca | ādityasya sutau tāta nāsatyau yena hetunā | saṃjātau śrotumicchāmi nirṇayaṃ paramaṃ dvija

Translation

ಯುಧಿಷ್ಠಿರನು ಹೇಳಿದರು—ಪೂಜ್ಯರೇ, ಯಾವ ಕಾರಣದಿಂದ ನಾಸತ್ಯರು ಆದಿತ್ಯನ ಪುತ್ರರಾದರು? ಹೇ ದ್ವಿಜ, ಇದರ ಪರಮ ನಿರ್ಣಯವನ್ನು ಕೇಳಲು ಇಚ್ಛಿಸುತ್ತೇನೆ।

Word by Word

• युधिष्ठिरः: Yudhiṣṭhira
• युधिष्ठिरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युधिष्ठिर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन — Masculine, Nominative singular

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (परोक्षभूत/Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन — Perfect, 3rd sg; परस्मैपद

• आदित्यस्य: of Āditya
• आदित्यस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आदित्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी विभक्ति (6th/षष्ठी), एकवचन — Masculine, Genitive singular

• सुतौ: two sons
• सुतौ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सुत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति (1st/प्रथमा), द्विवचन — Masculine, Nominative dual

• तात: dear sir/father
• तात: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तात (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th/सम्बोधन), एकवचन — Masculine, Vocative singular

• नासत्यौ: the Nāsatyas (Aśvins)
• नासत्यौ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नासत्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति (1st/प्रथमा), द्विवचन — Masculine, Nominative dual

• येन: by which, through what
• येन: Karana (Instrument/Cause/करण)
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया विभक्ति (3rd/तृतीया), एकवचन — Neuter, Instrumental singular; सम्बन्धसूचक — relative pronoun

• हेतुना: by what cause/reason
• हेतुना: Karana (Instrument/Cause/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हेतु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया विभक्ति (3rd/तृतीया), एकवचन — Masculine, Instrumental singular

• संजातौ: were born
• संजातौ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम्+जन् (धातु) → संजात (कृदन्त-क्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (past participle used predicatively); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, द्विवचन — Masculine, Nominative dual

• श्रोतुम्: to hear
• श्रोतुम्: Prayojana (Purpose/प्रयोजन)
• Type: Verb
• Root: श्रु (धातु)
• Form: तुमुन्-प्रत्ययान्त infinitive — to hear

• इच्छामि: I wish
• इच्छामि: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: इष् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान/Present), उत्तमपुरुष (1st person), एकवचन — Present, 1st sg; परस्मैपद

• निर्णयम्: the explanation, decision
• निर्णयम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: निर्णय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया विभक्ति (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन — Masculine, Accusative singular

• परमम्: supreme, highest
• परमम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: परम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया विभक्ति (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन — Masculine, Accusative singular; विशेषण — qualifying निर्णयम्

• द्विज: O twice-born (brahmin)
• द्विज: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्विज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th/सम्बोधन), एकवचन — Masculine, Vocative singular

Speaker

Yudhiṣṭhira

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Mārkaṇḍeya

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Yudhiṣṭhira, seated respectfully, questions the aged sage Mārkaṇḍeya; a riverbank hermitage or forest āśrama ambience suggests the Purāṇic teaching setting.

Characters & Entities

• Yudhiṣṭhira
• Āditya
• Nāsatyau (Aśvins)
• Dvija (Mārkaṇḍeya)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharma is pursued through sincere inquiry—asking learned sages for a clear, authoritative account.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The broader setting is the Āśvina Tīrtha narrative in Revā Khaṇḍa, though this verse is a genealogical question.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it is a question initiating the explanatory narrative.