Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 71

Devanagari script

सूत उवाच । एवंविधैर्वचोभिश्च तोषितो मुनिसत्तमः । पप्रच्छ परया भक्त्या धर्मारण्यकथां शुभाम्

Transliteration

sūta uvāca | evaṃvidhairvacobhiśca toṣito munisattamaḥ | papraccha parayā bhaktyā dharmāraṇyakathāṃ śubhām

Translation

ಸೂತನು ಹೇಳಿದನು—ಇಂತಹ ವಚನಗಳಿಂದ ತೃಪ್ತನಾದ ಮುನಿಸತ್ತಮನು ಪರಮ ಭಕ್ತಿಯಿಂದ ಧರ್ಮಾರಣ್ಯದ ಶುಭ ಕಥೆಯನ್ನು ವಿಚಾರಿಸಿದನು।

Word by Word

• सूतः: Sūta
• सूतः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सूत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect/परोक्शभूत), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; परस्मैपदी

• एवंविधैः: by such (words)
• एवंविधैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: एवंविध (प्रातिपदिक; एवं + विध)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/करण), बहुवचन; विशेषणम् (वचोभिः)

• वचोभिः: with words
• वचोभिः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वचस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/करण), बहुवचन

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय

• तोषितः: pleased, satisfied
• तोषितः: Karta (Subject complement)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तोषित (प्रातिपदिक; √तुष् (धातु) + क्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past participle)

• मुनिसत्तमः: the best of sages
• मुनिसत्तमः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मुनिसत्तम (प्रातिपदिक; मुनि + सत्तम)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• पप्रच्छ: asked
• पप्रच्छ: Kriya (Verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्रच्छ् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; परस्मैपदी

• परया: with supreme
• परया: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: परा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/करण), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (भक्त्या)

• भक्त्या: with devotion
• भक्त्या: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भक्ति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/करण), एकवचन

• धर्मारण्यकथाम्: the story of Dharmāraṇya
• धर्मारण्यकथाम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धर्मारण्यकथा (प्रातिपदिक; धर्मारण्य + कथा)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन

• शुभाम्: auspicious
• शुभाम्: Visheshana (Adjectival to कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शुभ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (कथाम्)

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa/Sūta narrator)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Dharmāraṇya

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Śaunaka and the Naimiṣāraṇya sages (standard Sūta frame; implied)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Sūta as narrator describes a pleased great sage; the sage sits composed, while a devotee asks with folded hands about Dharmāraṇya’s auspicious story; listeners gather in a semi-circle.

Characters & Entities

• Sūta
• Dharmāraṇya

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred knowledge is best received through devotion (bhakti) and respectful inquiry, which opens the Mahātmya’s deeper meaning.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Dharmāraṇya is the named sacred locus; its auspicious kathā is the subject being formally requested.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; the verse highlights bhakti-driven questioning and the commencement of the Mahātmya narration.