Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 3

Devanagari script

सूत उवाच । ब्रह्मलोकनिविष्टस्य ब्रह्मणोऽ व्यक्तजन्मनः । पुराऽभून्महती चिन्ता तीर्थयात्रासमुद्भवा

Transliteration

sūta uvāca | brahmalokaniviṣṭasya brahmaṇo' vyaktajanmanaḥ | purā'bhūnmahatī cintā tīrthayātrāsamudbhavā

Translation

สูตะกล่าวว่า กาลก่อน พระพรหมผู้สถิตในพรหมโลก ผู้มีปฐมกำเนิดอันไม่ปรากฏ ได้เกิดความกังวลใหญ่ อันเนื่องมาจากเรื่องการจาริกสู่ทีรถะอันศักดิ์สิทธิ์

Word by Word

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

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

• ब्रह्मलोकनिविष्टस्य: of (him) who was situated in Brahmaloka
• ब्रह्मलोकनिविष्टस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ब्रह्मलोक (प्रातिपदिक; ब्रह्मन्+लोक) + निविष्ट (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक from √विश्)
• Form: षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग-सम्भव (here qualifying ब्रह्मणः); तत्पुरुष: ‘ब्रह्मलोके निविष्टस्य’

• ब्रह्मणः: of Brahmā
• ब्रह्मणः: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Genitive singular

• अव्यक्तजन्मनः: of (him) whose birth is unmanifest
• अव्यक्तजन्मनः: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अव्यक्त (प्रातिपदिक) + जन्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष: ‘अव्यक्तं जन्म यस्य’/‘अव्यक्तं जन्म’ (elliptic) qualifying ब्रह्मणः

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

• अभूत्: arose/was
• अभूत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: लुङ्-लकार (अनद्यतनभूत/Aorist), परस्मैपद, प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन

• महतī: great
• महतī: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; agrees with चिन्ता

• चिन्ता: worry, concern
• चिन्ता: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चिन्ता (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• तीर्थयात्रासमुद्भवा: arising from pilgrimage to sacred places
• तीर्थयात्रासमुद्भवा: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक) + यात्रा (प्रातिपदिक) + समुद्भव (प्रातिपदिक from सम्+उद्+√भू)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष: ‘तीर्थयात्रायाः समुद्भवा’ qualifying चिन्ता

Speaker

Sūta

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Brāhmī Mahāśilā (implied forthcoming)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Ṛṣis

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Brahmā seated in Brahmaloka on a lotus-throne, surrounded by serene cosmic light, yet with a thoughtful, concerned expression; in the distance, a vision of Earth with a marked sacred spot foreshadowing the tīrtha.

Characters & Entities

• Sūta
• Brahmā
• Brahmaloka
• Tīrtha-yātrā

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Even cosmic authorities in purāṇic narration emphasize the centrality of tīrtha-yātrā, establishing pilgrimage as a universal dharmic concern.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse sets up the origin narrative that will explain the Brāhmī Mahāśilā and its associated sacred locale.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No direct prescription; it introduces the theme of tīrtha-yātrā as the narrative cause.