Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 1

Devanagari script

सूत उवाच । अथाहं संप्रवक्ष्यामि सर्वधर्मोत्तमोत्तमम् । उमामहेश्वरं नाम व्रतं सर्वार्थसिद्धिदम्

Transliteration

sūta uvāca | athāhaṃ saṃpravakṣyāmi sarvadharmottamottamam | umāmaheśvaraṃ nāma vrataṃ sarvārthasiddhidam

Translation

สูตะกล่าวว่า: บัดนี้เราจักอธิบายธรรมอันยอดยิ่งเหนือธรรมทั้งปวง คือพรตนามว่า ‘อุมา-มเหศวร’ พรตซึ่งประทานความสำเร็จแห่งประโยชน์ทั้งสิ้น

Word by Word

• सूतः: Sūta
• सूतः: Karta (Speaker/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सूत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Speech act/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकारः (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुषः, एकवचनम्; परस्मैपदम्

• अथ: then; now
• अथ: Sambandha (Discourse connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अथ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्ययम्; अनुक्रम/आरम्भसूचक (then/now)

• अहम्: I
• अहम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तमपुरुष-सर्वनाम, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्

• संप्रवक्ष्यामि: I shall explain fully
• संप्रवक्ष्यामि: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम् + प्र + वच् (धातु)
• Form: लृट्-लकारः (Simple Future), उत्तमपुरुषः (1st person), एकवचनम्; परस्मैपदम्

• सर्वधर्मोत्तमोत्तमम्: the best of the best among all dharmas
• सर्वधर्मोत्तमोत्तमम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व + धर्म + उत्तम + उत्तम (प्रातिपदिके)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, द्वितीया-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; बहुपद-तत्पुरुषः; विशेषणम् (सर्वेषां धर्माणाम् उत्तमेषु अपि उत्तमम्)

• उमामहेश्वरम्: (called) Umā and Maheśvara
• उमामहेश्वरम्: Karma (Appositional object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: उमा + महेश्वर (प्रातिपदिके)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, द्वितीया-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; द्वन्द्व-समासः (उमा च महेश्वरश्च) — व्रतनामरूपेण

• नाम: named; called
• नाम: Sambandha (Naming marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नाम (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्ययम्; नामार्थक-निपातः (called/namely)

• व्रतम्: vow; observance
• व्रतम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: व्रत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, द्वितीया-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्

• सर्वार्थसिद्धिदम्: granting success in all aims
• सर्वार्थसिद्धिदम्: Karma (Qualifier of object/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व + अर्थ + सिद्धि + द (प्रातिपदिके)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, द्वितीया-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; विशेषणम्; तत्पुरुषः (सर्वेषाम् अर्थानां सिद्धिं ददाति)

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa/Sūta narrator)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Umāmaheśvara-vrata (portable observance)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Ṛṣis (assembly of sages)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Sūta, seated in a forest-āśrama or yajña-sabhā, addresses sages and announces the Umāmaheśvara-vrata; behind him a symbolic image of Umā and Maheśvara together (Ardhanārī or divine couple) signifies the vow’s focus.

Characters & Entities

• Sūta
• Umā
• Maheśvara (Śiva)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Among religious observances, a Śaiva vow centered on Umā and Maheśvara is proclaimed as supremely efficacious.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No tīrtha is specified in this opening verse; it introduces a vrata rather than a location-māhātmya.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

The Umāmaheśvara-vrata is introduced as a formal vow/observance that yields sarvārtha-siddhi; details follow in subsequent verses.