Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 14

Devanagari script

कथाभिः क्रियमाणाभिर्विचित्राभिरनेकधा । उद्धवः कथयामास प्रचारं यदुनंदनम्

Transliteration

kathābhiḥ kriyamāṇābhirvicitrābhiranekadhā | uddhavaḥ kathayāmāsa pracāraṃ yadunaṃdanam

Translation

വിവിധവിധത്തിലുള്ള വിചിത്രസംഭാഷണങ്ങൾ നടക്കുമ്പോൾ, ഉദ്ധവൻ യദുനന്ദനനോട് ഒരാളുടെ വരവും സഞ്ചാരവും (പ്രചാരവൃത്താന്തം) വിവരിച്ചു പറഞ്ഞു.

Word by Word

• कथाभिः: with stories/talks
• कथाभिः: करण (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कथा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), बहुवचन

• क्रियमाणाभिः: being made/going on
• क्रियमाणाभिः: विशेषण (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कृ (धातु) → क्रियमाण (कृदन्त)
• Form: वर्तमानकाले (लट्-अर्थे) शानच्-प्रत्ययान्तः वर्तमानकृदन्तः; स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), बहुवचन; ‘कथाभिः’ इति विशेषणम्

• विचित्राभिः: variegated/wondrous
• विचित्राभिः: विशेषण (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: विचित्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), बहुवचन; ‘कथाभिः’ इति विशेषणम्

• अनेकधा: in many ways
• अनेकधा: क्रियाविशेषण (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अनेकधा (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रकारवाचक-अव्यय (adverb of manner)

• उद्धवः: Uddhava
• उद्धवः: कर्ता (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: उद्धव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन

• कथयामास: narrated/told
• कथयामास: क्रिया (Predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कथय् (धातु, णिच्)
• Form: लिट् (परोक्षभूत/Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• प्रचारम्: the account/occurrence (lit. course)
• प्रचारम्: कर्म (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रचार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन

• यदुनन्दनम्: (concerning) the delight of the Yadus (Kṛṣṇa)
• यदुनन्दनम्: कर्म (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यदु + नन्दन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (यदूनां नन्दनः); पुल्लिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; ‘प्रचारम्’ इति विशेषण/अप्पोजिशन

Speaker

Unnamed narrator within Dvārakā Māhātmya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Dvārakā (sabhā-līlā locus)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Within a richly decorated hall, amid varied conversations, Uddhava leans toward Kṛṣṇa and reports the approach and movements of an arriving figure; listeners pause in anticipation.

Characters & Entities

• Uddhava
• Yadunandana (Kṛṣṇa)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Holy events unfold through saintly association and timely counsel; Uddhava becomes the messenger leading to dharma-filled hospitality.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Dvārakā as the setting where saintly news is received and acted upon.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Implicitly points toward welcoming a guest (atithi) properly, which is elaborated in subsequent verses.