Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 43

Devanagari script

शृणुत श्रद्धया यूयं समाधाय स्वमानसम् । पुरा विंध्यप्रदेशेषु त्रिवक्रो नाम राक्षसः

Transliteration

śṛṇuta śraddhayā yūyaṃ samādhāya svamānasam | purā viṃdhyapradeśeṣu trivakro nāma rākṣasaḥ

Translation

ശ്രദ്ധയോടെ കേൾക്കുവിൻ, മനസ്സിനെ ഏകാഗ്രമാക്കുവിൻ. പുരാതനകാലത്ത് വിന്ധ്യപ്രദേശങ്ങളിൽ ത്രിവക്രൻ എന്നൊരു രാക്ഷസൻ ഉണ്ടായിരുന്നു.

Word by Word

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

• श्रद्धया: with faith
• श्रद्धया: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्रद्धा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), एकवचन

• यूयम्: you (all)
• यूयम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; सर्वनाम (2nd person pronoun)

• समाधाय: having composed / having fixed
• समाधाय: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम्+आ+धा (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (Gerund/Absolutive), उपसर्ग: सम्+आ; अर्थ: ‘स्थापयित्वा/एकाग्रं कृत्वा’

• स्वमानसम्: your own mind
• स्वमानसम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्व + मानस (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्मधारय (स्वं मानसम्)

• पुरा: formerly
• पुरा: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुरा (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (adverb of time)

• विन्ध्यप्रदेशेषु: in the Vindhya regions
• विन्ध्यप्रदेशेषु: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विन्ध्य + प्रदेश (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), बहुवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (विन्ध्यस्य प्रदेशाः)

• त्रिवक्रः: Trivakra (three-bent/three-curved)
• त्रिवक्रः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्रि + वक्र (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; द्विगु-समास (त्रीणि वक्राणि यस्य/त्रिवक्रः)

• नाम: named
• नाम: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नाम (अव्यय)
• Form: संज्ञासूचक-अव्यय (indeclinable indicating name)

• राक्षसः: a rākṣasa
• राक्षसः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: राक्षस (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

Speaker

Sūta

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Vindhya-pradeśa (setting, not a named tīrtha here)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Ṛṣayaḥ

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A wide establishing shot of the Vindhya foothills and dense forests; introduction of the rākṣasa Trivakra as a figure of power in a wild landscape.

Characters & Entities

• Sūta
• Vindhya
• Trivakra

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Faithful, concentrated listening (śraddhā with steadied mind) is presented as the doorway to understanding Purāṇic dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific tīrtha is glorified; the verse sets the geographic scene in the Vindhya region.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

The implied practice is śravaṇa (devotional listening) with mental focus; no external rite is stated.