Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 20

Devanagari script

नारद उवाच । उचितं तव पार्थैतद्यत्पृच्छसि गुणिन्गुणान् । गुणिनामेव युज्यन्ते श्रोतुं धर्मोद्भवा गुणाः । साधूनां धर्मश्रवणैः कीर्तनैर्याति चान्वहम्

Transliteration

nārada uvāca | ucitaṃ tava pārthaitadyatpṛcchasi guṇinguṇān | guṇināmeva yujyante śrotuṃ dharmodbhavā guṇāḥ | sādhūnāṃ dharmaśravaṇaiḥ kīrtanairyāti cānvaham

Translation

Wika ni Nārada: “O Pārtha, nararapat na itanong mo ang mga kagalingan ng mga taong may kabutihang-asal. Tanging ang may kabutihan ang karapat-dapat makinig sa mga birtud na isinilang mula sa Dharma; at sa araw-araw na pakikinig sa Dharma at sa pagbigkas ng papuri nito, ang buhay ng mga banal ay umuunlad araw-araw.”

Word by Word

• nāradaḥ: Nārada
• nāradaḥ: Karta (Speaker/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nārada (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; ऋषिनाम

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √vac (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• ucitam: proper, fitting
• ucitam: Kriya (Predicate complement/विधेय)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ucita (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; √uc/√vac? प्रचलित ‘ucita’ = proper)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त-प्राय (क्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; विधेय-विशेषण (proper/appropriate)

• tava: for you / of you
• tava: Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tvad (युष्मद्-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• pārtha: O Pārtha
• pārtha: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pārtha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative), एकवचन

• etat: this
• etat: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: etad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• yat: that which
• yat: Sambandha (Relative connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सम्बन्धबोधक यत्-शब्दः; अव्ययवत् (that which)

• pṛcchasi: you ask
• pṛcchasi: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √prach (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• guṇin: O virtuous one
• guṇin: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: guṇin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative), एकवचन; ‘गुणवान्’ इत्यर्थे

• guṇān: qualities
• guṇān: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: guṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), बहुवचन

• guṇinām: of the virtuous
• guṇinām: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: guṇin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन

• eva: indeed, only
• eva: Sambandha (Emphasis/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (emphatic particle)

• yujyante: are appropriate, befit
• yujyante: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √yuj (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन; आत्मनेपद; कर्मणि/भावे प्रयोगः (are fitting/are appropriate)

• śrotum: to hear
• śrotum: Prayojana (Purpose/प्रयोजन)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √śru (धातु) + śrotum (तुमुन्)
• Form: तुमुनन्त (infinitive), श्रवणार्थे

• dharma-udbhavāḥ: arising from dharma
• dharma-udbhavāḥ: Visheshana (Adjectival modifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dharma (प्रातिपदिक) + udbhava (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पञ्चमी/षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (धर्मात् उद्भवाः / धर्मस्य उद्भवाः), पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; विशेषणम्

• guṇāḥ: qualities, virtues
• guṇāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: guṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन

• sādhūnām: of the good/saints
• sādhūnām: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sādhu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन

• dharma-śravaṇaiḥ: by hearing dharma
• dharma-śravaṇaiḥ: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dharma (प्रातिपदिक) + śravaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (धर्मस्य श्रवणैः), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन

• kīrtanaiḥ: by recitations/praises
• kīrtanaiḥ: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kīrtana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन

• yāti: goes, progresses
• yāti: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √yā (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक अव्यय (conjunction)

• anvaham: day by day, daily
• anvaham: Kala (Time/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: anvaham (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक अव्यय (adverb of time)

Speaker

Nārada

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Pārtha (Arjuna)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Nārada, with vīṇā, addresses Pārtha in a calm teaching posture; a small assembly of sādhus listens, suggesting daily dharma-śravaṇa and kīrtana as communal practice.

Characters & Entities

• Nārada
• Pārtha (Arjuna)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Daily śravaṇa (listening) and kīrtana (recitation) of dharma nurture virtue and steady spiritual growth.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

This verse primarily praises dharma-śravaṇa and readiness for tīrtha-māhātmya, not a named location.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Regular dharma-śravaṇa and dharma-kīrtana are recommended as daily disciplines.