Skanda Purana — Vishnu Khanda, Shloka 21

Devanagari script

सूत उवाच । इत्युक्त्वा स तपोराशिरगस्त्यः कुंभसंभवः । पुनः पृष्टो मुनिवरो व्यासायावीवदत्कथाम्

Transliteration

sūta uvāca | ityuktvā sa taporāśiragastyaḥ kuṃbhasaṃbhavaḥ | punaḥ pṛṣṭo munivaro vyāsāyāvīvadatkathām

Translation

สูตะกล่าวว่า: “ครั้นกล่าวดังนี้แล้ว มวลแห่งตบะนั้น—อคัสตยะผู้กำเนิดจากหม้อ—เมื่อถูกถามอีกครั้ง ฤๅษีผู้ประเสริฐได้เล่าเรื่องนี้แก่พระวยาสะ”

Word by Word

• सूतः: Sūta
• सूतः: Karta (Speaker/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सूत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (masculine nominative singular)

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (√वच् धातु; लिट्)
• Form: लिट् (परोक्शभूत/Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• इति: thus
• इति: Sambandha (Discourse marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति (अव्यय)
• Form: उद्धरण-समाप्ति-वाचक अव्यय (quotative particle)

• उक्त्वा: having said
• उक्त्वा: Kriya (पूर्वक्रिया/Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वच् (√वच् धातु; त्वा-प्रत्यय)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (absolutive/gerund): having said

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (masc. nominative sg.)

• तपोराशिः: a heap of austerity (very ascetic one)
• तपोराशिः: Karta (Apposition/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तपस् + राशि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (tapasām rāśiḥ)

• अगस्त्यः: Agastya
• अगस्त्यः: Karta (Apposition/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अगस्त्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• कुम्भसम्भवः: born from a pot (epithet)
• कुम्भसम्भवः: Karta (Apposition/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कुम्भ + सम्भव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (kumbhāt sambhavaḥ)

• पुनः: again
• पुनः: Kriya (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुनः (अव्यय)
• Form: पुनरावृत्ति-वाचक अव्यय (adverb: again)

• पृष्टः: having been asked
• पृष्टः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्रच्छ् (√प्रच्छ् धातु; क्त-प्रत्यय)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (past passive participle: ‘asked’)

• मुनिवरः: the best of sages
• मुनिवरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मुनि + वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्मधारयः (श्रेष्ठः मुनिः)

• व्यासाय: to Vyāsa
• व्यासाय: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: व्यास (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी, एकवचन (dative singular)

• अवीवदत्: spoke; narrated
• अवीवदत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वद् (√वद् धातु; लङ्, causative? actually intensive/अभ्यास: अवीवदत्)
• Form: लङ् (अनद्यतनभूत/Imperfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद; अभ्यासयुक्त-रूप (frequentative/intensive sense: spoke forth)

• कथाम्: the story
• कथाम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कथा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन (accusative singular)

Speaker

Sūta

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Śaunaka and the Naimiṣāraṇya sages (implied Sūta frame)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Sūta narrates a sage-assembly: Agastya, the jar-born ascetic, seated in calm authority, is questioned again and recounts the story to Vyāsa; palm-leaf manuscripts and attentive listeners emphasize textual lineage.

Characters & Entities

• Sūta
• Agastya
• Vyāsa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purāṇic wisdom is preserved through teacher-to-disciple narration, ensuring tīrtha-glories remain accessible to later ages.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The broader Ayodhyā tīrtha-cycle; this verse marks a narrative transition rather than a single site.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it establishes the speaker chain (Sūta → audience; Agastya → Vyāsa).