Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 1

Devanagari script

सूत उवाच । अतः परं शृणुध्वं हि लोहासुरविचेष्टितम् । बलेः पुत्रशतस्यापि कथयिष्यामि विश्रुतम्

Transliteration

sūta uvāca | ataḥ paraṃ śṛṇudhvaṃ hi lohāsuraviceṣṭitam | baleḥ putraśatasyāpi kathayiṣyāmi viśrutam

Translation

സൂതൻ പറഞ്ഞു—ഇനി ലോഹാസുരന്റെ പ്രസിദ്ധമായ ചരിതങ്ങൾ ശ്രവിക്കുവിൻ. ബലിയുടെ നൂറു പുത്രന്മാരുടെ വിഖ്യാതകഥയും ഞാൻ പറയാം.

Word by Word

• सूतः: Sūta (the narrator)
• सूतः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sūta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular), परस्मैपद

• अतः: thereafter/therefore
• अतः: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atas (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अव्यय-प्रकारः—सम्बन्ध/हेतु-अर्थे (therefore/from this)

• परम्: further/next
• परम्: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial modifier/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: para (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय-प्रयोगः (adverbial accusative); ‘further/next’ अर्थे

• शृणुध्वम्: listen (you all)
• शृणुध्वम्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: श्रु (धातु)
• Form: लोट्-लकार (Imperative), मध्यम-पुरुष (2nd person), बहुवचन (Plural), आत्मनेपद

• हि: indeed/for
• हि: Sambandha (Emphasis/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: hi (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात (particle)

• लोहासुरविचेष्टितम्: the deeds of Lohāsura
• लोहासुरविचेष्टितम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: lohāsura (प्रातिपदिक) + viceṣṭita (कृदन्त; वि+चेष्ट् धातु, क्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular); षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः—‘लोहासुरस्य विचेष्टितम्’

• बलेः: of Bali
• बलेः: Shashthi-sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठीसम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bali (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/6th), एकवचन (Singular)

• पुत्रशतस्य: of (his) hundred sons
• पुत्रशतस्य: Shashthi-sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठीसम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: putra (प्रातिपदिक) + śata (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/6th), एकवचन (Singular); षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः—‘पुत्राणां शतम्’ (a hundred sons)

• अपि: also/even
• अपि: Sambandha (Addition/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात (particle)

• कथयिष्यामि: I will narrate
• कथयिष्यामि: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कथ् (धातु)
• Form: लृट्-लकार (Simple Future), उत्तम-पुरुष (1st person), एकवचन (Singular), परस्मैपद

• विश्रुतम्: well-known
• विश्रुतम्: Karma-visheshana (Object qualifier/कर्मविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: viśruta (कृदन्त; वि+श्रु धातु, क्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular); कर्म-विशेषणम्

Speaker

Sūta

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Ṛṣis (forest-assembly)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A forest-assembly of sages in Dharmāraṇya listening to Sūta, who announces the forthcoming account of Lohāsura and Bali’s hundred sons; palm-leaf manuscripts, sacrificial fires, and attentive ṛṣis.

Characters & Entities

• Sūta
• Lohāsura
• Bali

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred history is presented as a vehicle for dharma—listening attentively to Purāṇic narration prepares the mind for the moral and theological teaching that follows.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse serves as a narrative preface within Dharmāraṇya; no specific tīrtha is directly named in this line.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly; it introduces a forthcoming account rather than prescribing vrata, snāna, dāna, or japa.