Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 24

Devanagari script

को वा चित्रकथाबंधं वेत्ति संसारगोचरः । को वार्णवमहाग्राहं वेत्ति विद्यापरायणः

Transliteration

ko vā citrakathābaṃdhaṃ vetti saṃsāragocaraḥ | ko vārṇavamahāgrāhaṃ vetti vidyāparāyaṇaḥ

Translation

സംസാരഗോചരത്തിൽ സഞ്ചരിക്കുന്നവൻ ആര് ഈ ചിത്രവിസ്മയകഥാബന്ധത്തിന്റെ സൂക്ഷ്മത അറിയും? വിദ്യാപരായണൻ ആര് സമുദ്രത്തിലെ ആ മഹാഗ്രാഹത്തെ (മഹാബല ഗ്രാഹി) അറിയും?

Word by Word

• कः: who?
• कः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; प्रश्नवाचक-सर्वनाम

• वा: indeed/or
• वा: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वा (अव्यय)
• Form: विकल्पार्थक-अव्यय (particle)

• चित्रकथाबन्धम्: the intricate bond/plot of stories
• चित्रकथाबन्धम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चित्र + कथा + बन्ध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; समासः (determinative)

• वेत्ति: knows
• वेत्ति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: विद् (धातु)
• Form: लट्, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• संसारगोचरः: one who moves in/within worldly existence
• संसारगोचरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: संसार + गोचर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेष्य-रूपेण (as subject)

• कः: who?
• कः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; प्रश्नवाचक-सर्वनाम

• वा: indeed/or
• वा: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वा (अव्यय)
• Form: विकल्पार्थक-अव्यय (particle)

• अर्णवमहाग्राहम्: the great crocodile of the ocean (metaphor: huge peril)
• अर्णवमहाग्राहम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अर्णव + महा + ग्राह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; समासः

• वेत्ति: knows
• वेत्ति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: विद् (धातु)
• Form: लट्, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• विद्यापरायणः: one devoted to knowledge
• विद्यापरायणः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विद्या + परायण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; 'विद्यायां परायणः' (devoted to learning)

Speaker

Lomaharṣaṇa (Sūta) to the sages (deduced); continued interrogative tests

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A vast ocean with a beautiful surface of painted stories (scroll-like waves) while beneath, a colossal unseen ‘grāha’ circles; a scholar holds manuscripts yet looks uncertain, contrasted with a meditator holding a rosary and steady gaze.

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Wisdom sees through the complexity of worldly stories and recognizes the deep forces that bind beings in saṃsāra.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

None; the imagery is metaphorical rather than geographic.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it is part of an intellectual-spiritual examination to identify true vidyā.