Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 58

Devanagari script

इत्युक्तवंतं नृपतिर्महामुनिं तमेव वव्रे प्रथमं क्रियागुरुम् । अथापरांस्त्यक्तधनाशयान्मुनीनावाहयामास सहस्रशः क्षणात्

Transliteration

ityuktavaṃtaṃ nṛpatirmahāmuniṃ tameva vavre prathamaṃ kriyāgurum | athāparāṃstyaktadhanāśayānmunīnāvāhayāmāsa sahasraśaḥ kṣaṇāt

Translation

ഇങ്ങനെ ഉപദേശിച്ച ആ മഹാമുനിയെയേ രാജാവ് ക്രിയാഗുരുവായി ആദ്യം വരിച്ചു. പിന്നെ ധനലാലസ ഉപേക്ഷിച്ച മറ്റു മുനിമാരെ അദ്ദേഹം ക്ഷണത്തിൽ ആയിരക്കണക്കിന് വിളിച്ചു വരുത്തി.

Word by Word

• इति: thus
• इति: Sambandha (Discourse marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; उद्धरण/समाप्तिसूचक (quotative particle)

• उक्तवन्तम्: who had spoken
• उक्तवन्तम्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: उक्तवत् (कृदन्त; √वच् धातु, क्तवत्)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; क्तवत्-प्रत्ययान्त (perfect participle: 'having said')

• नृपतिः: the king
• नृपतिः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नृपति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (नॄणां पतिः)

• महामुनिम्: the great sage
• महामुनिम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महā + मुनि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्मधारय (महान् मुनिः)

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

• एव: indeed, only
• एव: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Emphasis/अवधारण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधारण (emphatic particle)

• वव्रे: chose, selected
• वव्रे: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √वृ (धातु; वरणे)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

• प्रथमम्: first
• प्रथमम्: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial accusative/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्रथम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; क्रमवाचक (ordinal)

• क्रियागुरुम्: as the ritual-teacher
• क्रियागुरुम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्रिया + गुरु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (क्रियायाः गुरुः)

• अथ: then
• अथ: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अथ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अनुक्रम/आरम्भसूचक (conjunctive particle)

• अपरान्: other
• अपरान्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अपर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• त्यक्तधनाशयान्: who had abandoned desire for wealth
• त्यक्तधनाशयान्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: त्यक्त (कृदन्त; √त्यज्, क्त) + धन + आशय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; तत्पुरुष-प्रायः (धन-आशयौ त्यक्तौ येषाम्)

• मुनीन्: sages
• मुनीन्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मुनि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• आवाहयामास: summoned, called
• आवाहयामास: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ + √वह् (धातु) (प्रेरण/णिच्)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद; णिच्-प्रयोग (causative: 'caused to come/called')

• सहस्रशः: by the thousand, in thousands
• सहस्रशः: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सहस्रशस् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; परिमाणवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (distributive/quantitative adverb: 'by thousands')

• क्षणात्: in an instant / from a moment
• क्षणात्: Apādāna (Ablative/time-from/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्षण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (Ablative/5th), एकवचन

Speaker

Narrator (contextual attribution within Brahmottarakhaṇḍa narration)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A king, hands folded, formally appoints a venerable mahāmuni as chief ritual preceptor; behind, many ascetics arrive—simple garments, matted hair—signifying detachment from wealth; attendants stand respectfully aside.

Characters & Entities

• Nṛpati (King)
• Mahāmuni

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharma is strengthened when rulers honor qualified spiritual teachers and rely on renunciate integrity rather than transactional religiosity.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No tīrtha is specified in this verse; it advances the story setting for a major Rudra-oriented rite.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Selecting a competent kriyā-guru and assembling qualified munis as officiants for the forthcoming ritual.