Skanda Purana — Vishnu Khanda, Shloka 76

Devanagari script

व्यास उवाच । अत्याश्चर्य्यमयीं ब्रह्मन्कथामेतां तपोधन । उक्तवानसि येनैतत्साश्चर्य्यं मम मानसम्

Transliteration

vyāsa uvāca | atyāścaryyamayīṃ brahmankathāmetāṃ tapodhana | uktavānasi yenaitatsāścaryyaṃ mama mānasam

Translation

வியாசர் கூறினார்—ஓ பிராமணரே, ஓ தவநிதியே! நீர் கூறிய இந்த மிக அதிசயமான கதையால் என் மனம் வியப்பால் நிரம்பியது।

Word by Word

• व्यासः: Vyāsa
• व्यासः: Karta (Speaker/वक्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: व्यास (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; एकवचन

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect); परस्मैपद; प्रथमपुरुष; एकवचन — ‘said’

• अत्याश्चर्यमयीम्: filled with great wonder
• अत्याश्चर्यमयीम्: Karma (Object-qualifier/कर्म-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अति + आश्चर्य + मय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; द्वितीया; एकवचन — ‘full of great wonder’ (qualifying ‘कथाम्’)

• ब्रह्मन्: O Brahmin
• ब्रह्मन्: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; सम्बोधन (Vocative/सम्बोधन); एकवचन — ‘O Brahmin’

• कथाम्: story, account
• कथाम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कथा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; द्वितीया; एकवचन

• एताम्: this
• एताम्: Karma (Object-determiner/कर्म-निर्देशक)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; द्वितीया; एकवचन — सर्वनाम-विशेषण (demonstrative: ‘this’)

• तपोधन: O ascetic (rich in austerity)
• तपोधन: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तपस् + धन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; सम्बोधन; एकवचन — ‘O one whose wealth is austerity’

• उक्तवान्: (you) have said
• उक्तवान्: Kriya (Periphrastic predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु) + क्तवत् (कृत्प्रत्यय) → उक्तवत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: क्तवत्-कृदन्त (past active participle); पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; एकवचन — ‘having spoken/said’ (with ‘असि’)

• असि: you have
• असि: Kriya (Auxiliary/सहायक-क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार; परस्मैपद; मध्यमपुरुष (2nd person); एकवचन — ‘are/have’ (auxiliary with ‘उक्तवान्’)

• येन: whereby, by which
• येन: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; तृतीया; एकवचन — सम्बन्धवाचक (relative: ‘by which/whereby’)

• एतत्: this
• एतत्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; एकवचन — ‘this’ (referring to what follows)

• साश्चर्यम्: wondrous, astonishing
• साश्चर्यम्: Karta (Predicate/विधेय)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स + आश्चर्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; एकवचन — ‘with wonder; wondrous’ (predicate adjective)

• मम: my
• मम: Sambandha (Genitive/षष्ठी-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी; एकवचन — ‘of me/my’

• मानसम्: mind
• मानसम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मानस (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; एकवचन — ‘mind’

Speaker

Vyāsa

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Agastya (kalasha-janman)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Vyāsa addresses Agastya with folded hands or respectful gesture, eyes widened in wonder, acknowledging the extraordinary narrative.

Characters & Entities

• Vyāsa
• Agastya (implied addressee)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Hearing tīrtha-māhātmya with faith evokes reverence and transforms the heart; wonder becomes a doorway to deeper devotion.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Ayodhyā tīrthas previously described—especially the Gopratāra–saṅgama and Guptahari tradition.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it is a laudatory response that requests further elaboration.