Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 6

Devanagari script

सूत उवाच । अत्र वः कीर्तयिष्यामि सर्वं ब्राह्मणसत्तमाः । यथा मया श्रुतं पूर्वं निजतातमुखाद्द्विजाः

Transliteration

sūta uvāca | atra vaḥ kīrtayiṣyāmi sarvaṃ brāhmaṇasattamāḥ | yathā mayā śrutaṃ pūrvaṃ nijatātamukhāddvijāḥ

Translation

സൂതൻ പറഞ്ഞു—ഹേ ബ്രാഹ്മണശ്രേഷ്ഠന്മാരേ! ഇവിടെ ഞാൻ നിങ്ങളോട് എല്ലാം വിവരിക്കും; ഞാൻ മുമ്പ് എന്റെ പിതാവിന്റെ വായിൽ നിന്ന് കേട്ടതുപോലെ തന്നേ, ഹേ ദ്വിജന്മാരേ.

Word by Word

• सूतः: Sūta
• सूतः: कर्ता (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सूत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः (कर्ता), एकवचनम्; Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: क्रिया (Predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकारः (परोक्षभूत/परिपूर्णभूत), प्रथमपुरुषः, एकवचनम्; Perfect, 3rd person, Singular

• अत्र: here
• अत्र: अधिकरण (Setting)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्ययम्; स्थानवाचक-अव्यय

• वः: to you (all)
• वः: सम्प्रदान (Recipient)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, चतुर्थी-विभक्तिः (सम्प्रदान), बहुवचनम्; Pronoun, Dative (4th), Plural

• कीर्तयिष्यामि: I shall narrate
• कीर्तयिष्यामि: क्रिया (Predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कीर्तय् (धातु; √कीर्त् causative/denominative)
• Form: लृट्-लकारः (भविष्यत्), उत्तमपुरुषः, एकवचनम्; Future, 1st person, Singular

• सर्वम्: everything
• सर्वम्: कर्म (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, द्वितीया-विभक्तिः (कर्म), एकवचनम्; Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• ब्राह्मणसत्तमाः: O best of brāhmaṇas
• ब्राह्मणसत्तमाः: सम्बोधन (Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्राह्मण-सत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समासः: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः/उपपद-तत्पुरुषः (ब्राह्मणानां सत्तमाः = best among brāhmaṇas); पुंलिङ्गे, सम्बोधन-विभक्तिः, बहुवचनम्; Vocative, Plural

• यथा: as
• यथा: सम्बन्ध (Clause linker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्ययम्; यथार्थक/उपमानार्थक (conj./adverb) ‘as, in the manner that’

• मया: by me
• मया: कर्ता (Agent of passive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, तृतीया-विभक्तिः (कर्ता/करण), एकवचनम्; Pronoun, Instrumental, Singular

• श्रुतम्: heard
• श्रुतम्: कर्म (Object/Content)
• Type: Verb
• Root: श्रु (धातु) + श्रुत (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकृदन्तः (क्त), नपुंसकलिङ्गे, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; Past participle, Neuter, Nom./Acc., Singular

• पूर्वम्: formerly, earlier
• पूर्वम्: काल (Time)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पूर्व (प्रातिपदिक/अव्ययीभाववत्)
• Form: अव्ययम्; कालवाचक-क्रियाविशेषणम् (adverb of time)

• निजतातमुखात्: from (my) own father's mouth
• निजतातमुखात्: अपादान (Source)
• Type: Noun
• Root: निज-तात-मुख (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समासः: तत्पुरुषः (निजः तातः = own father; तस्य मुखम्; तस्मात्); नपुंसकलिङ्गे, पञ्चमी-विभक्तिः (अपादान), एकवचनम्; Neuter, Ablative (5th), Singular

• द्विजाः: O twice-born
• द्विजाः: सम्बोधन (Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्विज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, सम्बोधन-विभक्तिः, बहुवचनम्; Vocative, Plural

Speaker

Sūta

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Brāhmaṇas (addressed as brāhmaṇa-sattamāḥ, dvijāḥ)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Sūta stands or sits with composed posture, right hand in teaching gesture (vyākhyāna-mudrā), addressing brāhmaṇas; a subtle visual motif of an elder (his father) in a faded inset suggests lineage transmission.

Characters & Entities

• Sūta
• Brāhmaṇas
• Sūta's father (tāta)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred knowledge is preserved through faithful transmission, and narration itself becomes a vehicle of merit and remembrance.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse introduces the narration; the specific tīrtha is developed in the surrounding Kedāra-related account.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it establishes the authority and lineage of the narrative transmission.