Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 5

Devanagari script

श्रीसूत उवाच । सम्यक्पृष्टं हि युष्माभिः शृणुध्वं मुनिपुंगवाः । पुरा हि राघवो हत्वा रावणं सपरिच्छदम्

Transliteration

śrīsūta uvāca | samyakpṛṣṭaṃ hi yuṣmābhiḥ śṛṇudhvaṃ munipuṃgavāḥ | purā hi rāghavo hatvā rāvaṇaṃ saparicchadam

Translation

ശ്രീസൂതൻ പറഞ്ഞു— നിങ്ങൾ ശരിയായാണ് ചോദിച്ചത്; ഹേ മുനിശ്രേഷ്ഠന്മാരേ, കേൾക്കൂ. പുരാകാലത്ത് രാഘവൻ രാവണനെ അവന്റെ സമസ്ത സൈന്യ-പരിവാരങ്ങളോടുകൂടി വധിച്ച്…

Word by Word

• श्रीसूतः: Śrī Sūta
• श्रीसूतः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्री (प्रातिपदिक) + सूत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (कर्ता), एकवचन; कर्मधारयः (श्रीमान् सूतः)

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• सम्यक्: properly
• सम्यक्: Kriya-Visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सम्यक् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रियाविशेषण (adverb)

• पृष्टम्: asked
• पृष्टम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्रच्छ् (धातु)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; कर्मणि-प्रयोगे ‘asked’

• हि: indeed
• हि: Sambandha (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात (emphatic/causal particle)

• युष्माभिः: by you (all)
• युष्माभिः: Karta (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तृतीया-विभक्ति (करण/कर्ता), बहुवचन

• शृणुध्वम्: listen
• शृणुध्वम्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: श्रु (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (imperative), मध्यमपुरुष, बहुवचन; आत्मनेपद

• मुनिपुंगवाः: O best of sages
• मुनिपुंगवाः: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मुनि (प्रातिपदिक) + पुंगव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन/प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (मुनीनां पुंगवाः)

• पुरा: formerly
• पुरा: Kala (Time/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुरा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक (temporal adverb)

• हि: indeed
• हि: Sambandha (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात

• राघवः: Rāghava (Rāma)
• राघवः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: राघव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (कर्ता), एकवचन

• हत्वा: having slain
• हत्वा: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Verb
• Root: हन् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त (absolutive/gerund), अव्ययभाव; पूर्वक्रिया

• रावणम्: Rāvaṇa
• रावणम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रावण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (कर्म), एकवचन

• सपरिच्छदम्: together with his retinue/accoutrements
• सपरिच्छदम्: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स (अव्यय/उपसर्गार्थ) + परिच्छद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (रावणम्); उपपद-तत्पुरुषः/सह-समासार्थः = ‘परिच्छदेन सह’

Speaker

Sūta

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Agnitīrtha (contextual; kathā begins)

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Ṛṣis

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Sūta addressing sages; behind him a narrative tableau: Rāma with bow lowered after victory, Laṅkā’s golden city, fallen rākṣasa banners, and the sea route toward Setu hinted in the distance.

Characters & Entities

• Sūta
• Rāghava (Rāma)
• Rāvaṇa
• Munipuṅgavāḥ (sages)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Tīrtha-māhātmyas are anchored in itihāsa: divine history sanctifies geography and guides pilgrimage.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Agnitīrtha (the forthcoming origin story begins here).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; this is the narrative preface introducing the Ramāyaṇa-linked background.