Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 48

Devanagari script

एतद्वः सर्वमाख्यातं बालमंडनसंभवम् । माहात्म्यं तु द्विज श्रेष्ठाः शृणुध्वमथ सादरम्

Transliteration

etadvaḥ sarvamākhyātaṃ bālamaṃḍanasaṃbhavam | māhātmyaṃ tu dvija śreṣṭhāḥ śṛṇudhvamatha sādaram

Translation

बालमंडनाचा उद्भव हा सर्व मी तुम्हाला सांगितला. आता, हे द्विजश्रेष्ठांनो, त्याचे माहात्म्य आदराने ऐका.

Word by Word

• etat: this
• etat: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: etad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Nom/Acc), एकवचन

• vaḥ: to you / for you
• vaḥ: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yusmad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, चतुर्थी/षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Dat/Gen), बहुवचन (enclitic)

• sarvam: all; entirely
• sarvam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Nom/Acc), एकवचन

• ākhyātam: has been narrated
• ākhyātam: Kriya (Predicative/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ā-khyā (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle) नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Nom/Acc), एकवचन; कर्मणि-भाव (passive/resultative)

• bāla-maṇḍana-saṃbhavam: arising from Bālamaṇḍana
• bāla-maṇḍana-saṃbhavam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: bāla (प्रातिपदिक) + maṇḍana (प्रातिपदिक) + saṃbhava (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifying 'etat/sarvam')

• māhātmyam: the greatness; glorification
• māhātmyam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: māhātmya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन

• tu: now; indeed
• tu: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; विरोध/विशेष (particle 'but/indeed')

• dvija: O twice-born (Brahmins)
• dvija: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dvija (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, संबोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative), बहुवचन (addressing)

• śreṣṭhāḥ: O excellent (ones)
• śreṣṭhāḥ: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śreṣṭha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, संबोधन/प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Voc/Nom), बहुवचन; संबोधनार्थे

• śṛṇudhvam: listen
• śṛṇudhvam: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: śru (धातु)
• Form: लोट्-लकार (Imperative), मध्यमपुरुष, बहुवचन; आत्मनेपद

• atha: then; now
• atha: Sambandha (Discourse connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atha (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; आरम्भ/अनन्तर (sequencing particle)

• sādaram: with respect; attentively
• sādaram: Sambandha (Manner/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sa-ādara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रियाविशेषण (adverb)

Speaker

Sūta

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Bālamaṇḍana

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Dviśreṣṭhāḥ (best of twice-born sages)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Sūta addresses assembled sages, gesturing as he transitions from the origin story to the māhātmya; palm-leaf manuscripts and a sacrificial hall atmosphere suggest a formal recitation setting.

Characters & Entities

• Bālamaṇḍana (Tīrtha)
• Dvijaśreṣṭhas (sages/brāhmaṇas)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Hearing and preserving tīrtha-māhātmya is itself a dharmic act that transmits sacred geography and its purifying power.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Bālamaṇḍana tīrtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

The instruction is to listen with reverence; ritual details follow in the next verses.