Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 18

Devanagari script

पुराणं सर्वशास्त्राणां ब्रह्माण्डं प्रथमं स्मृतम् । अनन्तरं च वक्त्रेभ्यो वेदास्तस्य विनिर्गताः

Transliteration

purāṇaṃ sarvaśāstrāṇāṃ brahmāṇḍaṃ prathamaṃ smṛtam | anantaraṃ ca vaktrebhyo vedāstasya vinirgatāḥ

Translation

அனைத்து சாஸ்திரங்களிலும் பிரம்மாண்டப் புராணம் முதன்மையானதாக நினைக்கப்படுகிறது; அதன் பின் அவனது வாய்களிலிருந்து வேதங்கள் வெளிப்பட்டன।

Word by Word

• पुराणम्: Purāṇa
• पुराणम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुराण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Neuter, Nominative/Accusative, Singular)

• सर्वशास्त्राणाम्: of all scriptures
• सर्वशास्त्राणाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्व-शास्त्र (प्रातिपदिक; सर्व + शास्त्र)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, बहुवचन (Neuter, Genitive, Plural)

• ब्रह्माण्डम्: Brahmāṇḍa (the cosmic egg)
• ब्रह्माण्डम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्माण्ड (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Neuter, Nominative/Accusative, Singular)

• प्रथमम्: first
• प्रथमम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्रथम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (Neuter, Nom/Acc, Singular; adjective)

• स्मृतम्: is remembered/considered
• स्मृतम्: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्मृ (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (क्त-प्रत्यय), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; कर्मणि प्रयोगे ‘is remembered/called’ (Past passive participle, Neuter, Nom/Acc, Singular)

• अनन्तरम्: afterwards
• अनन्तरम्: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अनन्तर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (कालवाचक क्रियाविशेषण) (Indeclinable adverb of time)

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Connector/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक अव्यय (conjunction)

• वक्त्रेभ्यः: from the mouths
• वक्त्रेभ्यः: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वक्त्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति, बहुवचन (Neuter, Ablative, Plural)

• वेदाः: the Vedas
• वेदाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वेद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन (Masculine, Nominative, Plural)

• तस्य: of him/of that
• तस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सर्वनाम (Genitive, Singular; pronoun)

• विनिर्गताः: came forth/emerged
• विनिर्गताः: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: नि√गम् (धातु) + वि + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि/कर्तरि कृदन्त (क्त-प्रत्यय), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; ‘went forth/emerged’ (Past participle, Masculine, Nom, Plural)

Speaker

Sūta

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Ṛṣis

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Cosmic figure with multiple mouths (symbolic) from which Vedic sound-streams emerge as luminous syllables; beside it, a manuscript labeled ‘Brahmāṇḍa’ as the first śāstra.

Characters & Entities

• Brahmāṇḍa Purāṇa
• Vedas
• Śāstra

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purāṇas and Vedas are portrayed as divinely rooted revelations, reinforcing reverence for sacred learning as a path of dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific tīrtha is named; the verse is doctrinal within the Prabhāsa māhātmya’s narrative frame.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it is a statement about scriptural origin and precedence.