Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 3

Devanagari script

वह्निकुंडसमुद्भूत सूतनिर्मलमानस । शृणुष्वैकं पुरा विद्भिर्भाषितं यत्सुभा षितम्

Transliteration

vahnikuṃḍasamudbhūta sūtanirmalamānasa | śṛṇuṣvaikaṃ purā vidbhirbhāṣitaṃ yatsubhā ṣitam

Translation

ਹੇ ਸੂਤ, ਅਗਨਿਕੁੰਡ ਤੋਂ ਉਤਪੰਨ ਅਤੇ ਨਿਰਮਲ ਮਨ ਵਾਲੇ, ਸੁਣੋ—ਇਹ ਇਕ ਉਪਦੇਸ਼, ਜੋ ਪੁਰਾਤਨ ਕਾਲ ਵਿੱਚ ਵਿਦਵਾਨਾਂ ਨੇ ਕਿਹਾ ਸੀ, ਬਹੁਤ ਹੀ ਸੁਭਾਸ਼ਿਤ ਹੈ।

Word by Word

• वह्निकुण्डसमुद्भूत: O one arisen from the fire-pit
• वह्निकुण्डसमुद्भूत: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वह्नि (प्रातिपदिक) + कुण्ड (प्रातिपदिक) + समुद्भूत (भू-धातु, क्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; सम्बोधन; एकवचन; ‘समुद्भूत’ = सम्+उद्+भू (क्त-प्रत्यय, past participle) ‘arisen’; तत्पुरुष-समास (‘वह्निकुण्डात् समुद्भूतः’); विशेषणं (त्वम्)

• सूतनिर्मलमानस: O Sūta of pure mind
• सूतनिर्मलमानस: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सूत (प्रातिपदिक) + निर्मल (प्रातिपदिक) + मानस (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; सम्बोधन; एकवचन; कर्मधारय-समास (‘निर्मलं मानसं यस्य’)

• शृणुष्व: listen
• शृणुष्व: Kriya (Command/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: श्रु (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (Imperative); मध्यमपुरुष; एकवचन; आत्मनेपद (शृणु + स्व)

• एकम्: one (thing)
• एकम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया; एकवचन; ‘one (thing)’

• पुरा: formerly
• पुरा: Sambandha (Temporal/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुरा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक (adverb ‘formerly’)

• विद्भिः: by the wise
• विद्भिः: Karana (Instrument/Agentive means/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विद्वस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; तृतीया (Instrumental); बहुवचन

• भाषितम्: spoken
• भाषितम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भाष् (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle); नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया; एकवचन; ‘spoken’

• यत्: which
• यत्: Sambandha (Relative link/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया; एकवचन; सम्बन्ध-प्रत्यय (relative pronoun)

• सुभाषितम्: a well-spoken saying
• सुभाषितम्: Karma (Apposition to ‘यत्’/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सु (उपसर्ग/पूर्वपद) + भाषित (भाष्-धातु, क्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया; एकवचन; कर्मधारय-समास (‘सु भाषितम्’ = well-said saying)

Speaker

Pārāśarya (contextual continuation)

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Sūta

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A teacher addresses Sūta with respectful epithet, recalling his fire-pit origin; the scene is a quiet instruction moment before a key maxim is delivered.

Characters & Entities

• Sūta
• Wise ones (vid)
• Vahnikuṇḍa (fire-pit motif)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharma is transmitted through attentive listening to time-tested wisdom preserved by the learned.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No particular tīrtha is named; the verse introduces a dharma-maxim within the Kāśīkhaṇḍa milieu.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Śravaṇa (listening) is emphasized as the practical discipline.