Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 2

Devanagari script

युधिष्ठिर उवाच । केन चादौ निर्मितं तत्तीर्थं सर्वोत्तमोत्तमम् । यथावद्वर्णय त्वं मे भगवन्द्विजसत्तम

Transliteration

yudhiṣṭhira uvāca | kena cādau nirmitaṃ tattīrthaṃ sarvottamottamam | yathāvadvarṇaya tvaṃ me bhagavandvijasattama

Translation

युधिष्ठिर म्हणाले— ते सर्वोत्तम तीर्थ आरंभी कोणी निर्माण केले? हे भगवन्, हे द्विजश्रेष्ठ, मला त्याचे यथाविधि सम्यक वर्णन करा.

Word by Word

• yudhiṣṭhiraḥ: Yudhiṣṭhira
• yudhiṣṭhiraḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yudhiṣṭhira (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriyā (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• kena: by whom/with what
• kena: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kim (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3), एकवचन; प्रश्नवाचक सर्वनाम

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha/Coordination (समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयार्थक

• ādau: in the beginning
• ādau: Adhikaraṇa (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ādau (अव्यय/सप्तमी-रूप)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक (at first/in the beginning)

• nirmitam: constructed/made
• nirmitam: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: nir-√mā (धातु)
• Form: क्त (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; 'tīrtham' इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

• tat: that
• tat: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन; 'tīrtham' इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

• tīrtham: holy place/pilgrimage site
• tīrtham: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tīrtha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन

• sarva-uttama-uttamam: the best of all the best
• sarva-uttama-uttamam: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक) + uttama (प्रातिपदिक) + uttama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (सर्वेषाम् उत्तमानाम् उत्तमम्) 'tīrtham' इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

• yathāvat: properly
• yathāvat: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yathāvat (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रकारवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (properly)

• varṇaya: describe
• varṇaya: Kriyā (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: varṇ (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (Imperative), मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• tvam: you
• tvam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yusmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• me: to me
• me: Sampradāna (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: चतुर्थी (4), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• bhagavan: O venerable one
• bhagavan: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhagavat (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8), एकवचन

• dvija-sattama: O best of the twice-born
• dvija-sattama: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dvija (प्रातिपदिक) + sattama (प्रातिपदik)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (द्विजानां सत्तमः)

Speaker

Yudhiṣṭhira

Characters & Entities

• Yudhiṣṭhira

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred places are approached through inquiry and right understanding; tīrtha-māhātmya is learned from qualified teachers.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The ‘supremely excellent tīrtha’ under discussion is Indrasara (introduced in the surrounding verses).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No ritual is prescribed; the verse initiates the origin-story inquiry that frames later tīrtha practices.