Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 3

Devanagari script

सूत उवाच । एतदर्थं पुरा पृष्टो मार्कंडेयो महामुनिः । रोहिताश्वेन विप्रेंद्रा हरिश्चन्द्र सुतेन सः

Transliteration

sūta uvāca | etadarthaṃ purā pṛṣṭo mārkaṃḍeyo mahāmuniḥ | rohitāśvena vipreṃdrā hariścandra sutena saḥ

Translation

สูตะกล่าวว่า: ในเรื่องนี้เอง กาลก่อนมหามุนีมารกัณฑेयะเคยถูกถาม โอ้พราหมณ์ผู้ประเสริฐทั้งหลาย โดยโรหิตาศวะ โอรสแห่งหริศจันทรา

Word by Word

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

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

• एतदर्थम्: about this matter
• एतदर्थम्: Karma (Object of asking/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एतद् + अर्थ (प्रातिपदिक); समासः
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष: एतस्य अर्थः; प्रयोजनार्थे (for this purpose/matter)

• पुरा: formerly
• पुरा: Kriya-vishesana (Temporal/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुरा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक (formerly)

• पृष्टः: was asked
• पृष्टः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्रच्छ् (धातु)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle: ‘asked’)

• मार्कण्डेयः: Mārkaṇḍeya
• मार्कण्डेयः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मार्कण्डेय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन

• महामुनिः: the great sage
• महामुनिः: Karta (Apposition/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महामुनि (प्रातिपदिक); समासः
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन; कर्मधारय: महान् मुनिः

• रोहिताश्वेन: by Rohitāśva
• रोहिताश्वेन: Kartr (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रोहिताश्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental), एकवचन; कर्तृकरणे (agent of asking)

• विप्रेन्द्राः: O best of brāhmaṇas
• विप्रेन्द्राः: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विप्रेन्द्र (प्रातिपदिक); समासः
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative), बहुवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: विप्राणाम् इन्द्राः

• हरिश्चन्द्रसुतेन: by the son of Hariścandra
• हरिश्चन्द्रसुतेन: Kartr (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हरिश्चन्द्र + सुत (प्रातिपदिक); समासः
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: हरिश्चन्द्रस्य सुतः

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन; अन्वयार्थक-सर्वनाम

Speaker

Sūta

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Ṛṣis

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Sūta begins recounting an older episode: Mārkaṇḍeya seated as a venerable sage, Rohitāśva as a respectful king with folded hands; a subtle temporal shift indicated by a vignette-like composition.

Characters & Entities

• Sūta
• Mārkaṇḍeya
• Rohitāśva
• Hariścandra

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharma is preserved through lineage and inquiry: kings and householders seek authoritative guidance from realized sages for correct ancestral rites.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The narrative soon situates the teaching in the Sarayū–Ayodhyā sacred landscape, a key tīrtha-context in this Adhyāya.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No prescription is given yet; the verse introduces the authoritative precedent for answering questions about śrāddha.