Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 3

Devanagari script

व्यस्य वेदान्महाबुद्धिर्नाना शाखा प्रभेदतः । अष्टादशपुराणानि सूतादीन्परिपाठ्य च

Transliteration

vyasya vedānmahābuddhirnānā śākhā prabhedataḥ | aṣṭādaśapurāṇāni sūtādīnparipāṭhya ca

Translation

那位大智慧的毗耶娑将诸吠陀依差别分为众多支派与分门；又令苏多等人如法传授并诵持十八部《往世书》。

Word by Word

• vyasya: having arranged/compiled
• vyasya: Kriya-viseshana (Absolutive modifying main action/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √vyas (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund), अव्ययभावः; √व्यास्/व्यस् (to arrange, compile)

• vedān: the Vedas
• vedān: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: veda (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), बहुवचन

• mahābuddhiḥ: the great-intellect (one)
• mahābuddhiḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahā + buddhi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन; कर्मधारयः—महती बुद्धिः यस्य

• nānā: various
• nānā: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: nānā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; विशेषणार्थे (indeclinable used adjectivally: 'various')

• śākhāḥ: branches (recensions)
• śākhāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śākhā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), बहुवचन

• prabhedataḥ: according to (their) divisions
• prabhedataḥ: Hetu/Adhikarana-nibandhana (Ground/according to/हेतु-निबन्धन)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: prabheda (प्रातिपदिक) + tas (तसिल्)
• Form: तसिल्-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय (ablatival adverb): 'from/according to distinction'

• aṣṭādaśa-purāṇāni: the eighteen Purāṇas
• aṣṭādaśa-purāṇāni: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: aṣṭādaśa (संख्या) + purāṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), बहुवचन; द्विगु-समासः (numeral compound)

• sūtādīn: Sūta and others
• sūtādīn: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sūta + ādi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), बहुवचन; तत्पुरुषः—सूतः आदिः येषाम् (sūta and others)

• paripāṭhya: having taught/recited (to them)
• paripāṭhya: Kriya-viseshana (Absolutive modifying main action/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pari + √paṭh (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund), अव्ययभावः; परि-उपसर्गपूर्वक √पठ् (to recite/teach thoroughly)

• ca: and
• ca: Samuccaya (Connector/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक अव्यय (conjunction)

Speaker

Narrator (contextual; likely Skanda speaking within Kāśīkhaṇḍa)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Vyāsa, serene and radiant, seated with palm-leaf manuscripts, arranging Vedic śākhās; nearby Sūta and other reciters receive instruction, with sages listening in a forest hermitage setting.

Characters & Entities

• Vyāsa
• Vedas
• Eighteen Purāṇas
• Sūta

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred knowledge is preserved through disciplined compilation and authorized transmission, ensuring Dharma remains accessible in later ages.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No single tīrtha is named in this verse; it functions as narrative setup within the Kāśīkhaṇḍa’s sacred-geography discourse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No specific rite is prescribed; it emphasizes formal recitation/teaching (pāṭha) of Purāṇic literature.