Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 21

Devanagari script

व्यास उवाच । शुक वक्ष्यामि ते गुह्यमविद्याग्रन्थिभेदनम् । बुद्धिशुद्धिप्रदं पुंसां जन्मादिभयनाशनम्

Transliteration

vyāsa uvāca | śuka vakṣyāmi te guhyamavidyāgranthibhedanam | buddhiśuddhipradaṃ puṃsāṃ janmādibhayanāśanam

Translation

วยาสะกล่าวว่า: โอ้ ศุกะ เราจักบอกคำสอนลับอันตัดปมแห่งอวิทยา ให้ความผ่องใสแก่ปัญญาของมนุษย์ และทำลายความหวาดกลัวทั้งหลายที่เริ่มแต่การเกิดและการเวียนเกิดเวียนตาย

Word by Word

• व्यासः: Vyāsa
• व्यासः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: व्यास (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन

• शुक: O Śuka
• शुक: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शुक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (8th/Vocative), एकवचन

• वक्ष्यामि: I shall tell
• वक्ष्यामि: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लृट्-लकार (Simple Future), उत्तम-पुरुष (1st person), एकवचन

• ते: to you / your
• ते: Sampradana/Adhikarana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-विभक्ति (6th/Genitive), एकवचन (enclitic)

• गुह्यम्: a secret (teaching)
• गुह्यम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गुह्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• अविद्याग्रन्थिभेदनम्: the cutting of the knot of ignorance
• अविद्याग्रन्थिभेदनम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अविद्या (प्रातिपदिक) + ग्रन्थि (प्रातिपदिक) + भेदन (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; भिद् धातोः ल्युट्)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (अविद्यायाः ग्रन्थेः भेदनम्)

• बुद्धिशुद्धिप्रदम्: bestowing purity of intellect
• बुद्धिशुद्धिप्रदम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: बुद्धि (प्रातिपदिक) + शुद्धि (प्रातिपदिक) + प्रद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (बुद्धेः शुद्धेः प्रदम्)

• पुंसाम्: of men
• पुंसाम्: Shashthi-sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठीसम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुंस्/पुम्स् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन

• जन्मादिभयनाशनम्: destroying fear beginning with birth (etc.)
• जन्मादिभयनाशनम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: जन्म (प्रातिपदिक) + आदि (अव्यय/प्रातिपदिक) + भय (प्रातिपदिक) + नाशन (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; नश् धातोः ल्युट्)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषसमासः (जन्मादि-भयस्य नाशनम्)

Speaker

Vyāsa

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Śuka

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Vyāsa, seated in a forest āśrama, addresses Śuka with a confidential, luminous teaching; the atmosphere is contemplative, with palm-leaf manuscripts and a subtle aura suggesting ‘knot-cutting’ wisdom.

Characters & Entities

• Vyāsa
• Śuka
• Avidyā
• Buddhi-śuddhi

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

True purification begins by cutting the knot of ignorance, resulting in clarity of intellect and freedom from existential fear.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse introduces a teaching that will be applied to the Setu region’s tīrtha-glory in the following verses, especially Jaṭā-tīrtha at Rāmasetu.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No ritual is prescribed here; it is a preface announcing a purifying, fear-destroying instruction.