Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 11

Devanagari script

मुनीना वचनं श्रुत्वा सूतः पौराणिकोत्तमः । प्रणम्य शिरसा प्राह व्यासं सत्यवतीसुतम्

Transliteration

munīnā vacanaṃ śrutvā sūtaḥ paurāṇikottamaḥ | praṇamya śirasā prāha vyāsaṃ satyavatīsutam

Translation

ครั้นได้สดับวาจาแห่งเหล่ามุนีแล้ว สูตะผู้เลิศในหมู่นักเล่าปุราณะ ก้มเศียรนอบน้อม แล้วกราบทูลพระวยาสะ โอรสแห่งสัตยวตี

Word by Word

• मुनीनाम्: of the sages
• मुनीनाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मुनि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गः, षष्ठी-विभक्तिः (Genitive), बहुवचनम् (Plural)

• वचनम्: the words
• वचनम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वचन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गः, द्वितीया-विभक्तिः (Accusative), एकवचनम्

• श्रुत्वा: having heard
• श्रुत्वा: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Verb
• Root: श्रु (धातु) → श्रुत्वा (क्त्वा-प्रत्यय, अव्ययीभाव-कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्यय (gerund/absolutive), पूर्वकालिकक्रिया (having heard)

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

• पौराणिकोत्तमः: the best of Purāṇa-narrators
• पौराणिकोत्तमः: Karta (Apposition/कर्ता-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पौराणिक + उत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; ‘पौराणिकेषु उत्तमः’ (best among Purāṇa-narrators)

• प्रणम्य: having bowed
• प्रणम्य: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र + नम् (धातु) → प्रणम्य (ल्यप्/क्त्वा-समकक्ष, अव्यय-कृदन्त)
• Form: ल्यप्-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय (gerund), पूर्वकालिकक्रिया (having bowed)

• शिरसा: with (his) head
• शिरसा: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शिरस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गः, तृतीया-विभक्तिः (Instrumental), एकवचनम्

• प्राह: said
• प्राह: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र + अह्/ब्रू (धातु; परस्मैपद-आह)
• Form: लिट्-लकारः (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुषः (3rd person), एकवचनम्; परस्मैपदम्

• व्यासम्: Vyāsa
• व्यासम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: व्यास (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गः, द्वितीया-विभक्तिः (Accusative), एकवचनम्

• सत्यवतीसुतम्: the son of Satyavatī
• सत्यवतीसुतम्: Karma (Appositive object/कर्म-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सत्यवती + सुत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गः, द्वितीया-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; ‘सत्यवत्याः सुतः’ (son of Satyavatī)

Speaker

Narrator (contextual framing before Sūta’s speech)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Naimiṣāraṇya (frame) / Prabhāsa (topic)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Vyāsa (Satyavatī-suta) and the sages as audience

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Sūta Romaharṣaṇa, palms joined, bowing with head lowered, then speaking toward Vyāsa seated as venerable compiler-sage; sages witness the exchange.

Characters & Entities

• Sūta
• Vyāsa
• Satyavatī
• Munis (sages)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred teaching begins with humility—honoring sages and the guru-lineage (Vyāsa) before narrating a māhātmya.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The broader context is Prabhāsakṣetra (Prabhāsa), whose greatness is about to be narrated.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit rite is prescribed; the implied dharma is reverential bowing (praṇāma) before sacred discourse.