Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 69

Devanagari script

युधिष्ठिर उवाच । उत्पन्ना तु कथं तात विशल्या कपिला कथम् । कथं वा नर्मदापुत्रः शल्ययुक्तोऽभवन्मुने

Transliteration

yudhiṣṭhira uvāca | utpannā tu kathaṃ tāta viśalyā kapilā katham | kathaṃ vā narmadāputraḥ śalyayukto'bhavanmune

Translation

Юдхиштхира сказал: Как возникла, о почтенный, Вишалья? И как появилась (корова) Капила? И как, о мудрец, сын Нармадā оказался с вонзившимся наконечником стрелы?

Word by Word

• युधिष्ठिरः: Yudhiṣṭhira
• युधिष्ठिरः: Karta (Speaker/subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युधिष्ठिर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; नाम (proper noun)

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriyā (Main verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• उत्पन्ना: was born/arose
• उत्पन्ना: Kriyā (Predicative participle)
• Type: Verb
• Root: उत् + पद् (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘arisen/born’

• तु: but/indeed
• तु: Emphasis/Contrast (particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात (contrast/emphasis)

• कथम्: how?
• कथम्: Praśna (interrogative)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: कथम् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रश्नार्थक (interrogative adverb)

• तात: O dear sir
• तात: Sambodhana (Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तात (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th case), एकवचन; सम्बोधन-पद (vocative: dear father/sir)

• विशल्या: Viśalyā
• विशल्या: Karta (Subject of उत्पन्ना)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विशल्या (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; नाम

• कपिला: Kapilā
• कपिला: Karta (Subject implied with second कथम्)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कपिला (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; नाम/विशेषणरूपेण (Kapilā)

• कथम्: how?
• कथम्: Praśna
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: कथम् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रश्नार्थक

• कथम्: how?
• कथम्: Praśna
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: कथम् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रश्नार्थक

• वा: or
• वा: Samuccaya/Option (particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; विकल्पार्थक/समुच्चयार्थक निपात (or/and)

• नर्मदा-पुत्रः: son of Narmadā
• नर्मदा-पुत्रः: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर्मदा (प्रातिपदिक) + पुत्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (नर्मदायाः पुत्रः); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• शल्य-युक्तः: joined with a dart; having a dart
• शल्य-युक्तः: Viśeṣaṇa
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शल्य (प्रातिपदिक) + युक्त (युज् धातोः क्त)
• Form: तत्पुरुष (शल्येन युक्तः); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifying नर्मदापुत्रः)

• अभवत्: became/was
• अभवत्: Kriyā (Main verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: लङ् (imperfect/past), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• मुने: O sage
• मुने: Sambodhana (Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मुनि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचन

Speaker

Yudhiṣṭhira

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Viśalyā (and associated Kapilā-related locus)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: The sage narrator (addressed as ‘mune’, ‘tāta’)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A forest-river hermitage setting: Yudhiṣṭhira seated respectfully before a sage, hands in añjali, asking about Viśalyā, Kapilā, and Narmadā’s son; the river glimmers in the background, hinting at the forthcoming origin tale.

Characters & Entities

• Yudhiṣṭhira
• Viśalyā
• Kapilā
• Narmadā
• Narmadāputra
• Ṛṣi (Mārkaṇḍeya)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purāṇic dharma is transmitted through inquiry: asking about a tīrtha’s origin reveals its deeper spiritual meaning and associated vows and merits.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Viśalyā tīrtha in the Revā (Narmadā) region, whose origin-story is being requested.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None in this verse; it introduces the narrative inquiry that will explain origins and merits.