Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 1

Devanagari script

सूत उवाच । इत्युक्ता मुनिना साध्वी सा विप्रवनिता पुनः । तं प्रणम्याथ पप्रच्छ शिवपूजाविधेः क्रमम्

Transliteration

sūta uvāca | ityuktā muninā sādhvī sā vipravanitā punaḥ | taṃ praṇamyātha papraccha śivapūjāvidheḥ kramam

Translation

సూతుడు అన్నాడు—ముని ఇలా చెప్పిన తరువాత ఆ సద్గుణ సంపన్న బ్రాహ్మణ స్త్రీ మళ్లీ ఆయనకు నమస్కరించి శివపూజా విధాన క్రమాన్ని అడిగింది.

Word by Word

• sūtaḥ: Sūta
• sūtaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sūta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (perfect), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• iti: thus
• iti: Sambandha (Quotation marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iti (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, वाक्यपरिसमाप्त्यर्थक/उद्धरणचिह्न (quotative)

• uktā: having been addressed
• uktā: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vac (धातु) + kta (कृत्)
• Form: कृतान्त (क्त-प्रत्यय), कर्मणि 'having been spoken to'; स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; 'सा' इति विशेषण

• muninā: by the sage
• muninā: Karta (Agent in passive/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: muni (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन

• sādhvī: the virtuous woman
• sādhvī: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sādhvī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• sā: she
• sā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• vipra-vanitā: the brāhmaṇa's wife
• vipra-vanitā: Apposition (समानाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vipra (प्रातिपदिक) + vanitā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समास: तत्पुरुष (षष्ठी) 'विप्रस्य वनिता' (brāhmaṇa's wife); स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• punaḥ: again
• punaḥ: Kriya-viśeṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: punaḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, पुनरावृत्त्यर्थक (again)

• tam: him
• tam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• praṇamya: having bowed
• praṇamya: Kriya-viśeṣaṇa (Prior action/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: pra√nam (धातु) + lyap (कृत्)
• Form: कृतान्त, ल्यप्-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय (absolutive/gerund)

• atha: then
• atha: Sambandha (Discourse connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atha (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, अनन्तरार्थक (then)

• papraccha: asked
• papraccha: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra√prach (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (perfect), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• śiva-pūjā-vidheḥ: of the procedure for Śiva-worship
• śiva-pūjā-vidheḥ: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śiva (प्रातिपदिक) + pūjā (प्रातिपदिक) + vidhi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समास: तत्पुरुष (षष्ठी) 'शिवपूजायाः विधिः' (rule of Śiva-worship); पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, एकवचन

• kramam: the sequence
• kramam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: krama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

Speaker

Sūta

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Śaunaka and the Naimiṣāraṇya sages (implied standard frame)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Sūta narrates; a virtuous brāhmaṇa woman bows to the sage and asks for the ordered method of Śiva worship; palm-leaf manuscripts and a small shrine suggest ritual learning.

Characters & Entities

• Sūta
• Muni (Śāṇḍilya)
• Brāhmaṇa woman
• Śiva

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

True devotion expresses itself as humility and a desire to learn correct worship, approached through respectful inquiry.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No tīrtha is specified in this introductory narrative verse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

It introduces the topic: the ordered procedure (krama) of Śiva-pūjā, to be detailed in subsequent verses.