Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 50

Devanagari script

उपदेशः परं यो मे पित्रा दत्तो द्विजोत्तमाः । तमहं वः प्रवक्ष्यामि ब्रह्मज्ञानसमुद्भवम्

Transliteration

upadeśaḥ paraṃ yo me pitrā datto dvijottamāḥ | tamahaṃ vaḥ pravakṣyāmi brahmajñānasamudbhavam

Translation

โอ ทวิชผู้ประเสริฐทั้งหลาย เราจักประกาศแก่ท่านทั้งปวงซึ่งคำสั่งสอนอันสูงสุดที่บิดาได้มอบแก่เรา—คำสั่งสอนที่ก่อให้เกิดพรหมญาณ

Word by Word

• उपदेशः: instruction/teaching
• उपदेशः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: उपदेश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• परम्: supreme
• परम्: Karta (Subject qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (qualifying उपदेशः)

• यः: which
• यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; सम्बन्धक (relative pronoun)

• मे: to me / my
• मे: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन (enclitic)

• पित्रा: by (my) father
• पित्रा: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पितृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन

• दत्तः: given
• दत्तः: Karta (Predicate adjective)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दा (धातु)
• Form: क्त (past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; उपदेशः इति विशेष्यस्य विशेषणम्

• द्विजोत्तमाः: O best of the twice-born
• द्विजोत्तमाः: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्विजोत्तम (प्रातिपदिक; द्विज + उत्तम)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative), बहुवचन

• तम्: that (instruction)
• तम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• अहम्: I
• अहम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• वः: to you (all)
• वः: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: चतुर्थी (4th/Dative) बहुवचन-प्रयोग (enclitic), ‘to you’

• प्रवक्ष्यामि: will explain/tell
• प्रवक्ष्यामि: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र + वच् (धातु)
• Form: लृट् (Simple Future), परस्मैपद, उत्तमपुरुष, एकवचन

• ब्रह्मज्ञानसमुद्भवम्: arising from Brahma-knowledge
• ब्रह्मज्ञानसमुद्भवम्: Karma (Object qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ब्रह्मज्ञानसमुद्भव (प्रातिपदिक; ब्रह्मज्ञान + समुद्भव)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (qualifying तम्/उपदेशम्)

Speaker

Sūta

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Dvijottamāḥ/Ṛṣayaḥ

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Sūta begins formal exposition, right hand raised in teaching gesture (vyākhyā-mudrā), sages attentive; a subtle aura of sacred transmission.

Characters & Entities

• Sūta
• Father of Sūta
• Dvijottamāḥ

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Authentic guidance is received through lineage and right instruction, and it matures into Brahma-knowledge.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The site is not named in this verse; it introduces the teaching that will be anchored in a particular kṣetra in the next verse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly here; the verse announces an upcoming tīrtha-based upadeśa.