Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 42

Devanagari script

सूत उवाच । अत्र तत्कथयिष्यामि यन्मया पितृतः श्रुतम् । वदतो ब्राह्मणेंद्रस्य पुरा दुर्वाससो मुनेः

Transliteration

sūta uvāca | atra tatkathayiṣyāmi yanmayā pitṛtaḥ śrutam | vadato brāhmaṇeṃdrasya purā durvāsaso muneḥ

Translation

สูตะกล่าวว่า: ณ ที่นี้เราจักเล่าเรื่องที่เราได้ยินจากบิดา—แต่กาลก่อน จากถ้อยคำของพราหมณ์ผู้ประเสริฐ คือฤๅษีทุรวาสัส

Word by Word

• सूतः: Sūta (the narrator)
• सूतः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सूत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

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

• अत्र: here
• अत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, देशवाचक-अव्यय (locative adverb)

• तत्: that (matter)
• तत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• कथयिष्यामि: I will narrate
• कथयिष्यामि: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कथय् (धातु)
• Form: लृट्-लकार (Simple Future), उत्तमपुरुष (1st person), एकवचन

• यत्: which (that)
• यत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक (relative pronoun)

• मया: by me
• मया: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: त्रिलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• पितृतः: from (my) father
• पितृतः: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पितृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (5th/Ablative), एकवचन; वैदिक/ऋ-प्रातिपदिक रूप

• श्रुतम्: heard
• श्रुतम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Verb
• Root: श्रु (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त-प्रत्यय)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• वदतः: of (him) speaking
• वदतः: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वद् (धातु) + शतृ (कृदन्त-प्रत्यय)
• Form: वर्तमानकाले कर्तरि शतृ-प्रत्यय (present active participle), पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• ब्राह्मणेन्द्रस्य: of the chief of Brahmins
• ब्राह्मणेन्द्रस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्राह्मण + इन्द्र (प्रातिपदिके)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (6th/Genitive), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (ब्राह्मणानाम् इन्द्रः)

• पुरा: formerly
• पुरा: Kala (Time/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुरा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, कालवाचक-अव्यय (temporal adverb)

• दुर्वाससः: of Durvāsas
• दुर्वाससः: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दुर्वासस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• मुनेः: of the sage
• मुनेः: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मुनि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

Speaker

Sūta

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Brāhmaṇa assembly (implied)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Forest-āśrama narration: Sūta seated before an attentive brāhmaṇa assembly, invoking what he heard from his father and from Durvāsas; palm-leaf manuscripts, sacrificial fire nearby.

Characters & Entities

• Sūta
• Durvāsas

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

It grounds instruction in paramparā (received tradition), presenting Purāṇic teaching as authenticated through revered sages.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse functions as a transition into an explanatory account; the tīrtha praised in the chapter remains the contextual backdrop.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No direct rite is prescribed here; it introduces an upcoming explanation of how mantra-japa attains siddhi.