Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 30

Devanagari script

कृष्णाजिनोत्तरीयेषु कूर्चेषु च वृसीषु च । सूते च तेषां मध्यस्थं कथयानं कथाः शुभाः

Transliteration

kṛṣṇājinottarīyeṣu kūrceṣu ca vṛsīṣu ca | sūte ca teṣāṃ madhyasthaṃ kathayānaṃ kathāḥ śubhāḥ

Translation

കൃഷ്ണാജിനം മേലുടുപ്പായി ധരിച്ചു, കുശാസനത്തിലും മൃഗചർമ്മത്തിലും ഇരുന്ന ഋഷിമാർ അവരുടെ മദ്ധ്യേ സൂതനെ ഇരുത്തി; അവൻ മംഗളകരമായ കഥകൾ പറഞ്ഞു।

Word by Word

• कृष्णाजिनोत्तरीयेषु: on/among black-antelope-skin upper garments
• कृष्णाजिनोत्तरीयेषु: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कृष्णाजिन (प्रातिपदिक) + उत्तरीय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुषः: कृष्णाजिनस्य उत्तरीयम् (upper garment of black antelope-skin); नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुंलिङ्ग (अत्र बहुवचन-सप्तमी), सप्तमी (7th), बहुवचन; अधिकरणवाचक

• कूर्चेषु: on seats/cushions (kūrca)
• कूर्चेषु: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कूर्च (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, बहुवचन

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Conjunction/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (समुच्चय)

• वृसीषु: on mats/coverlets (vṛsī)
• वृसीषु: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वृसी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, बहुवचन

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Conjunction/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (समुच्चय)

• सूते: at the sūta (bard/charioteer)
• सूते: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सूता/सूत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन; अधिकरणवाचक (सूते = सूते/सूतस्य समीपे/सूतस्थाने)

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Conjunction/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (समुच्चय)

• तेषाम्: of them
• तेषाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), बहुवचन; सर्वनाम

• मध्यस्थम्: standing/sitting in the middle
• मध्यस्थम्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मध्यस्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; ‘कथयानम्’ इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

• कथयानम्: narrating, telling
• कथयानम्: Karma (Object/कर्म) (of implied ‘dadarśa’)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कथय् (धातु)
• Form: वर्तमानकृदन्त (शानच्/Present middle participle), पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; कर्मपद (object) रूपेण

• कथाः: stories
• कथाः: Karma (Object/कर्म) (of ‘kathayānam’)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कथा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), बहुवचन; ‘कथयानम्’ इत्यस्य कर्म

• शुभाः: auspicious
• शुभाः: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शुभ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचन; ‘कथाः’ इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

Speaker

Narrator (Purāṇic frame, likely Sūta/Lomaharṣaṇa tradition)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Sages/brāhmaṇas in assembly

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Sages in black-antelope skins sit on kuśa mats and deer-skins; in the center sits the Sūta narrator on a slightly raised seat, gesturing as he recites auspicious stories; the assembly forms a respectful circle.

Characters & Entities

• Sūta
• Dvijas (sages/brāhmaṇas)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Holy discourse (śubha-kathā) in a disciplined, ritual setting is itself a purifier and a key vehicle of dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa-kṣetra (Prabhāsatīrtha region), introduced through the māhātmya’s narrative frame.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No direct injunction; it depicts the traditional posture of Purāṇic hearing—sages seated on kuśa/skins with the reciter in the center.