Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 2

Devanagari script

सूत उवाच । प्रश्नभारो महानेष यो भवद्भिः प्रकीर्तितः । तथापि कीर्तयिष्यामि नमस्कृत्वा पिनाकिनम्

Transliteration

sūta uvāca | praśnabhāro mahāneṣa yo bhavadbhiḥ prakīrtitaḥ | tathāpi kīrtayiṣyāmi namaskṛtvā pinākinam

Translation

สูตะกล่าวว่า: “ภาระแห่งคำถามที่ท่านทั้งหลายยกขึ้นนั้นยิ่งใหญ่จริง แต่กระนั้น ข้าพเจ้าจะพรรณนาให้ฟัง โดยได้ถวายบังคมแด่ปินากิน (พระศิวะ) ผู้ทรงคันศร”

Word by Word

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

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

• प्रश्नभारः: the burden of questions
• प्रश्नभारः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रश्न (प्रातिपदिक) + भार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समासः: प्रश्नानां भारः (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्

• महान्: great
• महान्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; qualifying प्रश्नभारः

• एषः: this
• एषः: Karta (Apposition/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्

• यः: which
• यः: Karta (Relative subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; relative pronoun referring to प्रश्नभारः/एषः

• भवद्भिः: by you (respected ones)
• भवद्भिः: Karana (Agent-instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भवत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्तिः (करण), बहुवचनम्; polite 2nd person “by you (all)”

• प्रकीर्तितः: has been stated
• प्रकीर्तितः: Karma (Predicative/कर्मणि)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्र-कीर्त् (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्तान्त (भूतकृदन्त/Past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्; “proclaimed/mentioned”

• तथापि: nevertheless
• तथापि: Sambandha (Concessive adverb)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय) + अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय-समुच्चयः (concessive): “even so/nevertheless”

• कीर्तयिष्यामि: I will narrate
• कीर्तयिष्यामि: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कीर्तय् (णिजन्त-धातु from कीर्त्)
• Form: लृट्-लकारः (भविष्यत्/Future), उत्तमपुरुषः, एकवचनम्, परस्मैपदम्

• नमस्कृत्वा: having saluted
• नमस्कृत्वा: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नमस्-√कृ (धातु) + त्वा (क्त्वान्त)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (Gerund/absolutive): “having bowed”

• पिनाकिनम्: Pinākin (Śiva, bearer of the bow)
• पिनाकिनम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पिनाकिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; object of नमस्कृत्वा

Speaker

Sūta

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Aṣṭaṣaṣṭi-kṣetra exposition (about to begin)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Ṛṣis

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Sūta (or Sūtanandana) folds hands in reverence to Śiva (Pinākin) before beginning a long explanation; sages sit attentively, the atmosphere solemn and expectant.

Characters & Entities

• Sūta
• Śiva (Pinākin)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purāṇic teaching is transmitted with humility and devotion; narration is sanctified by first honoring Śiva.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No single site is named in this verse; it introduces the forthcoming explanation of the kṣetras’ establishment.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A devotional act is implied: namaskāra (obeisance) to Śiva before undertaking sacred narration.