Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 1

Devanagari script

सूत उवाच । अथान्यत्संप्रवक्ष्यामि तीर्थमाहात्म्यमुत्तमम् । धर्मारण्ये यथाऽनीता सत्यलोकात्सरस्वती

Transliteration

sūta uvāca | athānyatsaṃpravakṣyāmi tīrthamāhātmyamuttamam | dharmāraṇye yathā'nītā satyalokātsarasvatī

Translation

สุทากล่าวว่า: บัดนี้เราจักประกาศมหาตมะแห่งตถาคตสถานศักดิ์สิทธิ์อันประเสริฐอีกประการหนึ่ง—ว่าแม่น้ำสรัสวตีถูกอัญเชิญจากสตยโลกมายังธรรมารัณยะอย่างไร

Word by Word

• सूतः: Sūta
• सूतः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सूत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (Nominative), एकवचन

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (परोक्षभूत/Perfect), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

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

• अन्यत्: another (topic)
• अन्यत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अन्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (Accusative), एकवचन; ‘अन्यत्’ = ‘अन्यं विषयम्’

• संप्रवक्ष्यामि: I will explain fully
• संप्रवक्ष्यामि: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम् + प्र + वच् (धातु)
• Form: लृट् (भविष्यत्/Future), परस्मैपद, उत्तमपुरुष, एकवचन

• तीर्थमाहात्म्यम्: the greatness of the pilgrimage-place
• तीर्थमाहात्म्यम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक) + माहात्म्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (Accusative), एकवचन; समासः—षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (तीर्थस्य माहात्म्यम्)

• उत्तमम्: excellent/supreme
• उत्तमम्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: उत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (माहात्म्यम् इति)

• धर्मारण्ये: in Dharmāraṇya
• धर्मारण्ये: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धर्म (प्रातिपदिक) + अरण्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (Locative), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (धर्मस्य अरण्यम्)

• यथा: as/how
• यथा: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; उपमान/प्रकारवाचक (manner/according as)

• आनीता: was brought
• आनीता: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ + नी (धातु)
• Form: क्त (past passive participle), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्तरि प्रयोगे ‘आनीता’ = ‘आनयिता/आहृता’ (brought)

• सत्यलोकात्: from Satyaloka
• सत्यलोकात्: Apādāna (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सत्य (प्रातिपदिक) + लोक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (Ablative), एकवचन; समासः—कर्मधारयः (सत्यः लोकः)

• सरस्वती: Sarasvatī (river/goddess)
• सरस्वती: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सरस्वती (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (Nominative), एकवचन

Speaker

Sūta

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Dharmāraṇya (Sarasvatī-tīrtha within it)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Naimiṣāraṇya sages (Śaunaka-led)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Sūta in a forest hermitage assembly announces a new tīrtha-māhātmya; in the background, a celestial stream (Sarasvatī) is shown descending from a luminous Satyaloka realm into Dharmāraṇya.

Characters & Entities

• Sūta
• Sarasvatī
• Satyaloka
• Dharmāraṇya

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purāṇic tīrtha-māhātmya frames sacred geography as divinely established, inspiring faith in pilgrimage and dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Dharmāraṇya, where Sarasvatī is said to have been brought.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly; it introduces a narrative explaining the sanctity of the tīrtha.