Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 6

Devanagari script

सुदर्शनोऽथ विप्रेंद्रः पुरोधाः स्वन यस्य सः । प्रययौ राजसविधं स्वनयाय निवेदितुम्

Transliteration

sudarśano'tha vipreṃdraḥ purodhāḥ svana yasya saḥ | prayayau rājasavidhaṃ svanayāya niveditum

Translation

അപ്പോൾ സ്വനയന്റെ രാജപുരോഹിതനും ബ്രാഹ്മണശ്രേഷ്ഠനുമായ സുദർശനൻ, സ്വനയനെ അറിയിക്കാനായി രാജസന്നിധിയിലേക്കു പോയി.

Word by Word

• sudarśanaḥ: Sudarśana
• sudarśanaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sudarśana (सुदर्शन प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन (proper name)

• atha: then
• atha: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atha (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, अनन्तरार्थक/प्रस्तावार्थक (then/now)

• vipra-indraḥ: chief of Brahmins
• vipra-indraḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vipra (विप्र) + indra (इन्द्र)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: ‘विप्राणाम् इन्द्रः’), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• purodhāḥ: family priest
• purodhāḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: purodhā (पुरोधा प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• svanayaḥ: Svanaya
• svanayaḥ: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: svanaya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• yasya: whose
• yasya: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (यद् सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन (relative pronoun)

• saḥ: he
• saḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• prayayau: went
• prayayau: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: i (इ धातु) उपसर्ग-प्र → प्र-√इ
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• rāja-savidham: to the king’s presence/near the king
• rāja-savidham: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rājan (राजन्) + savidha (सविध)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: ‘राज्ञः सविधम्’), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• svanayāya: for Svanaya
• svanayāya: Sampradana (सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: svanaya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (4th/Dative), एकवचन

• niveditum: to report/inform
• niveditum: Prayojana (प्रयोजन)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ni-vid (विद् धातु) उपसर्ग-नि → नि-√विद्
• Form: तुमुन्-प्रत्ययान्त (infinitive), ‘निवेदयितुम्’ अर्थे (to inform/announce)

Speaker

Narrator (within Sūta’s narration)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Setukṣetra (contextual)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Sudarśana, the chief brāhmaṇa and royal priest, proceeds with purposeful calm toward the king’s presence to report Svānaya’s matter—an image of disciplined duty.

Characters & Entities

• Sudarśana
• Svānaya
• rājā

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

It highlights the dharmic institution of the purohita—spiritual counsel and proper communication guide royal action.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The broader episode is set in the Agastya-tīrtha orbit within Setukhaṇḍa, though this verse focuses on courtly movement.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it describes the priest’s journey to deliver a message.