Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 36

Devanagari script

पितामहमुखोद्गीतं श्रुतं ते कथयाम्यहम् । यन्मे पितामहात्पूर्वं विज्ञातमृषिसंसदि

Transliteration

pitāmahamukhodgītaṃ śrutaṃ te kathayāmyaham | yanme pitāmahātpūrvaṃ vijñātamṛṣisaṃsadi

Translation

പിതാമഹൻ (ബ്രഹ്മാ)യുടെ മുഖത്തിൽ നിന്നു ഗീതമായി ഞാൻ കേട്ടതു തന്നെയാണ് ഞാൻ നിനക്കു പറയുന്നത്; ഋഷിസഭയിൽ മുമ്പേ എന്റെ പിതാമഹനിൽ നിന്നു ഞാൻ അറിഞ്ഞ ഉപദേശമത്.

Word by Word

• पितामह-मुख-उद्गीतम्: sung/uttered from (my) grandfather's mouth
• पितामह-मुख-उद्गीतम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पितामह (प्रातिपदिक) + मुख (प्रातिपदिक) + उद्गीत (कृदन्त/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Nom./Acc.), एकवचन (Singular); षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (पितामहस्य मुखात् उद्गीतम्)

• श्रुतम्: heard
• श्रुतम्: Kriya (Predicative/क्रिया-विशेष)
• Type: Verb
• Root: श्रु (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त-प्रत्यय)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• ते: to you
• ते: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी/चतुर्थी-विभक्ति (Gen./Dat.), एकवचन; अत्र चतुर्थी (to you)

• कथयामि: I tell/narrate
• कथयामि: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कथय् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), उत्तम-पुरुष (1st person), एकवचन (Singular), परस्मैपद

• अहम्: I
• अहम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• यत्: which/that which
• यत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Nom./Acc.), एकवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक (relative)

• मे: to me/of me
• मे: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी/चतुर्थी-विभक्ति (Gen./Dat.), एकवचन; अत्र षष्ठी (of me/to me)

• पितामहात्: from (my) grandfather
• पितामहात्: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पितामह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (Ablative/5th), एकवचन (Singular)

• पूर्वम्: formerly/before
• पूर्वम्: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पूर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (temporal adverb)

• विज्ञातम्: known/understood
• विज्ञातम्: Kriya (Predicative/क्रिया-विशेष)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वि-√ज्ञा (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त-प्रत्यय)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• ऋषि-संसदि: in the assembly of sages
• ऋषि-संसदि: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ऋषि (प्रातिपदिक) + संसद् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन (Singular); षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (ऋषीणां संसद्)

Speaker

Mārkaṇḍeya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā-khaṇḍa (contextual)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Yudhiṣṭhira

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A flashback tableau: Brahmā in a luminous assembly of sages, ‘singing’ the teaching; Mārkaṇḍeya as a younger listener receiving it, then returning to narrate to Yudhiṣṭhira.

Characters & Entities

• Mārkaṇḍeya
• pitāmaha (Brahmā / grandsire)
• ṛṣi-saṃsad (assembly of sages)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purāṇic dharma is presented as a received tradition, preserved through saintly lineages and sage-assemblies.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific tīrtha is named in this verse; it establishes the authority and lineage of the teaching within Revā Khaṇḍa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None directly; the verse frames the narration as heard tradition.