Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 22

Devanagari script

चक्रुः कथाः सुविचित्रा इतिहासानि भूरिशः । कीर्त्तयंतः स्थितास्तत्र पप्रच्छू राजसत्तमम्

Transliteration

cakruḥ kathāḥ suvicitrā itihāsāni bhūriśaḥ | kīrttayaṃtaḥ sthitāstatra papracchū rājasattamam

Translation

Narraram muitas histórias maravilhosas e numerosos relatos antigos; e, permanecendo ali, enquanto os recitavam e celebravam, interrogaram aquele rei, o melhor dos soberanos.

Word by Word

• चक्रुः: they made, they held
• चक्रुः: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √कृ (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (परस्मैपद), प्रथम-पुरुष, बहुवचन — 'they did/made'

• कथाः: stories, talks
• कथाः: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कथा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (कर्म), बहुवचन

• सुविचित्राः: very wonderful
• सुविचित्राः: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सु + विचित्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; विशेषणम् (कथाः) — 'very wonderful/variegated'

• इतिहासानि: histories, legends
• इतिहासानि: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इतिहास (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (कर्म), बहुवचन

• भूरिशः: abundantly, many times
• भूरिशः: Kriya-visheshana (Manner/प्रकार)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: भूरिशस् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (परिमाणवाचक/प्रचुरार्थक) — 'abundantly, repeatedly'

• कीर्तयन्तः: praising, recounting
• कीर्तयन्तः: Karta (Participial/कर्तृ)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √कीर्त्/कीर्तय् (धातु; णिच्)
• Form: शतृ-प्रत्यय (वर्तमान कृदन्त/Present active participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन — 'while praising/reciting'

• स्थिताः: staying, being present
• स्थिताः: Karta (Participial/कर्तृ)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √स्था (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्यय (भूतकृदन्त/past participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन — 'having stayed/being present'

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Locative/देशाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (देशवाचक) — 'there'

• पप्रच्छुः: they asked
• पप्रच्छुः: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र-√पृच्छ् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (परस्मैपद), प्रथम-पुरुष, बहुवचन — 'they asked'

• राजसत्तमम्: the best of kings
• राजसत्तमम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: राजन् + सत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (कर्म), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः — 'राज्ञां सत्तमः' (best among kings)

Speaker

Sūta/Lomaharṣaṇa (narrator, contextually in Māhātmya narration)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Sages seated in a semicircle, animatedly recounting wondrous ancient stories; the king listens, then is questioned in a formal, respectful tone.

Characters & Entities

• Sages
• King (unnamed in this verse)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharma is clarified through inquiry—questioning and listening to sacred history preserves spiritual insight.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The narrative belongs to Prabhāsakṣetra Māhātmya, framing the holiness of Prabhāsa through dialogue.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly; the verse introduces the didactic Q&A that will lead to tīrtha-related teachings.