Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 48

Devanagari script

सुपर्वणः सुतो यानं त्यक्त्वा भूमौ प्रणम्य च । कृताञ्जलिपुटो भूत्वा ब्राह्मणाय नरेश्वर । समस्तं कथयामास वृत्तान्तं स्वं पुरातनम्

Transliteration

suparvaṇaḥ suto yānaṃ tyaktvā bhūmau praṇamya ca | kṛtāñjalipuṭo bhūtvā brāhmaṇāya nareśvara | samastaṃ kathayāmāsa vṛttāntaṃ svaṃ purātanam

Translation

ହେ ନରେଶ୍ୱର! ସୁପର୍ବଣଙ୍କ ପୁତ୍ର ଯାନ ତ୍ୟାଗ କରି ଭୂମିରେ ଦଣ୍ଡବତ୍ ପ୍ରଣାମ କଲା। ପରେ କରଯୋଡ଼ି ବ୍ରାହ୍ମଣଙ୍କୁ ନିଜ ପୁରାତନ ସମଗ୍ର ବୃତ୍ତାନ୍ତ କହିଲା।

Word by Word

• सुपर्वणः: of Suparvan
• सुपर्वणः: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सुपर्वन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठीविभक्ति (Genitive/6th), एकवचन (Singular), पुल्लिङ्ग (Masculine)

• सुतः: son
• सुतः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सुत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: प्रथमाविभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular), पुल्लिङ्ग (Masculine)

• यानम्: vehicle
• यानम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: द्वितीयाविभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular), नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter)

• त्यक्त्वा: having abandoned
• त्यक्त्वा: Kriya (Non-finite verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: त्यज् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (Absolutive/Gerund), पूर्वकालिकक्रिया (prior action)

• भूमौ: on the ground
• भूमौ: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भूमि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सप्तमीविभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन (Singular), स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine)

• प्रणम्य: having bowed
• प्रणम्य: Kriya (Non-finite verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र-नम् (धातु)
• Form: ल्यप्/क्त्वान्तार्थक अव्ययकृदन्त (Absolutive), पूर्वकालिकक्रिया

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक (conjunction)

• कृताञ्जलिपुटः: with hands folded (in a joined-palms gesture)
• कृताञ्जलिपुटः: Karta (Subject qualifier/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कृत (कृ धातु-क्त, कृदन्त) + अञ्जलि (प्रातिपदिक) + पुट (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: प्रथमाविभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular), पुल्लिङ्ग (Masculine); विशेषण (adjectival)

• भूत्वा: having become
• भूत्वा: Kriya (Non-finite verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (Absolutive/Gerund), पूर्वकालिकक्रिया

• ब्राह्मणाय: to the Brahmin
• ब्राह्मणाय: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्राह्मण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: चतुर्थीविभक्ति (Dative/4th), एकवचन (Singular), पुल्लिङ्ग (Masculine)

• नरेश्वर: O lord of men (king)
• नरेश्वर: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर (प्रातिपदिक) + ईश्वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सम्बोधन (Vocative), एकवचन (Singular), पुल्लिङ्ग (Masculine)

• समस्तम्: entire
• समस्तम्: Karma (Object qualifier/कर्म-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: समस्त (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: द्वितीयाविभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular), नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter); विशेषण

• कथयामास: told / narrated
• कथयामास: Kriya (Main action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कथय् (धातु, णिच्)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular), परस्मैपद

• वृत्तान्तम्: account, story
• वृत्तान्तम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वृत्तान्त (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: द्वितीयाविभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular), पुल्लिङ्ग (Masculine)

• स्वम्: his own
• स्वम्: Karma (Object qualifier/कर्म-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्व (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: द्वितीयाविभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular), पुल्लिङ्ग (Masculine); विशेषण

• पुरातनम्: ancient, former
• पुरातनम्: Karma (Object qualifier/कर्म-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पुरातन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: द्वितीयाविभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular), पुल्लिङ्ग (Masculine); विशेषण

Speaker

Narrator (contextual prose-verse within the dialogue)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā/Narmadā (general Revākhaṇḍa setting)

Type: river

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: brāhmaṇa (recipient of the account)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A royal youth descends from a chariot, prostrates on earth, joins palms, and begins recounting an ancient personal history to a seated brāhmaṇa near a riverbank hermitage.

Characters & Entities

• Suparvan
• Suparvan’s son
• brāhmaṇa
• nareśvara (king)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Humility and reverence are the proper gateways to receiving sacred history and tirtha-mahātmya.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The immediate setting remains within the Revā Khaṇḍa’s Hanūmanteśvara narrative frame.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit rite; it highlights dhārmic conduct—bowing and listening respectfully to sacred narration.