Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 4

Devanagari script

ऋषय ऊचुः । श्रुतं कुमारचरितमविशेषं सुमंगलम् । अस्माभिश्च महाभागकिंचित्पृच्छामहे वयम्

Transliteration

ṛṣaya ūcuḥ | śrutaṃ kumāracaritamaviśeṣaṃ sumaṃgalam | asmābhiśca mahābhāgakiṃcitpṛcchāmahe vayam

Translation

ഋഷിമാർ പറഞ്ഞു—കുമാരന്റെ സമ്പൂർണ്ണവും അത്യന്തം മംഗളകരവുമായ ചരിതം ഞങ്ങൾ ശ്രവിച്ചു. ഹേ മഹാഭാഗ, ഇനി ഞങ്ങൾ നിങ്ങളോട് കുറെ ചോദിക്കുവാൻ ആഗ്രഹിക്കുന്നു।

Word by Word

• ऋषयः: the sages
• ऋषयः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ऋषि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन (Plural)

• ऊचुः: said
• ऊचुः: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन (Plural)

• श्रुतम्: has been heard
• श्रुतम्: Kriya (Predicative action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: श्रु (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त प्रत्यय)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle, क्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; अत्र कर्मणि प्रयोगे विधेय (predicate: 'has been heard')

• कुमारचरितम्: the story/deeds of Kumāra
• कुमारचरितम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कुमार + चरित (प्रातिपदिके)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन (Singular)

• अविशेषम्: without distinction / in full
• अविशेषम्: Visheshana (Adjectival)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अ + विशेष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषण

• सुमङ्गलम्: very auspicious
• सुमङ्गलम्: Visheshana (Adjectival)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सु + मङ्गल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषण

• अस्माभिः: by us / we
• अस्माभिः: Karta (Agent in passive sense)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन (Plural)

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयबोधक

• महाभाग: O greatly fortunate one
• महाभाग: Sambodhana (Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महाभाग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative), एकवचन; बहुव्रीहिः—'महान् भागः यस्य सः'

• किंचित्: something / a little
• किंचित्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: किंचित् (अव्यय/सर्वनाम)
• Form: अव्यय; परिमाणवाचक (quantifier: 'a little/something')

• पृच्छामहे: we ask
• पृच्छामहे: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्रच्छ् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), उत्तमपुरुष (1st person), बहुवचन (Plural), आत्मनेपद

• वयम्: we
• वयम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन (Plural)

Speaker

Ṛṣis (sages)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kedāra (contextual)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: ṛṣis

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A semicircle of sages, having heard Kumāra’s auspicious deeds, lean forward to ask Lomaśa a new question; the atmosphere is reverent and intellectually alive.

Characters & Entities

• Kumāra (Skanda)
• Ṛṣis

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred listening (śravaṇa) naturally leads to deeper inquiry—truth is approached through respectful questioning.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The conversation occurs within Kedārakhaṇḍa’s pilgrimage-theology, though no single tīrtha is named in this verse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Implicitly, śravaṇa (hearing sacred narrative) as a devotional practice; no explicit ritual is stated.