Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 44

Devanagari script

पृच्छति स्म मुनिश्रेष्ठं कौतूहलसमन्वितः । भगवन्सर्वलोकानां दीर्घायुस्त्वं मतो मम

Transliteration

pṛcchati sma muniśreṣṭhaṃ kautūhalasamanvitaḥ | bhagavansarvalokānāṃ dīrghāyustvaṃ mato mama

Translation

కుతూహలంతో నిండిన అతడు మునిశ్రేష్ఠుని అడిగాడు—“భగవన్, నా అభిప్రాయంలో మీరు సమస్త లోకాలలో దీర్ఘాయుష్మంతుడు.”

Word by Word

• pṛcchati: asks
• pṛcchati: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: prach (प्रच्छ् धातु)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• sma: (indeed/used to)
• sma: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sma (अव्यय)
• Form: स्म-निपात (भूतार्थ/वृत्त्यनुवादक; narrative past marker)

• muniśreṣṭham: the best of sages
• muniśreṣṭham: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: muni + śreṣṭha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (कर्म), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: मुनीनां श्रेष्ठः

• kautūhala-samanvitaḥ: full of curiosity
• kautūhala-samanvitaḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kautūhala + samanvita (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (कर्ता), एकवचन; तृतीया-तत्पुरुष: कौतूहलेन समन्वितः (‘endowed with curiosity’)

• bhagavan: O Blessed Lord
• bhagavan: Sambodhana (Vocative/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhagavat (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचन

• sarvalokānām: of all worlds
• sarvalokānām: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sarva + loka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (सम्बन्ध), बहुवचन; समास: सर्व+लोक (‘all worlds/people’)

• dīrghāyuḥ: long-lived
• dīrghāyuḥ: Visheshana (Predicate adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dīrgha + āyus (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (कर्ता/विशेष्य), एकवचन; समास: दीर्घ+आयुस् (‘long-lived’)

• tvam: you
• tvam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yusmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तमपुरुष-सर्वनाम, प्रथमा (कर्ता), एकवचन

• mataḥ: are considered
• mataḥ: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: man (मन् धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (भूतकर्मणि), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘considered/held as’

• mama: by me; of me
• mama: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (सम्बन्ध), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

Speaker

Yudhiṣṭhira (Dharmarāja)

Characters & Entities

• Yudhiṣṭhira
• muniśreṣṭha

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

A dhārmic seeker approaches sages with reverence and sincere inquiry, turning wonder into wisdom through questions.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Revā-tīra narrative frame: the tīrtha becomes a place not only of bathing but of receiving cosmological and dhārmic teaching.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No ritual is prescribed; the emphasis is on praśna (respectful inquiry) as a means of spiritual learning.