Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 4

Devanagari script

जातिमात्रेण विप्रत्वं जायते न हि भो द्विजाः । क्रिया बलवती लोके क्रियाहीने कुतः फलम्

Transliteration

jātimātreṇa vipratvaṃ jāyate na hi bho dvijāḥ | kriyā balavatī loke kriyāhīne kutaḥ phalam

Translation

يا ذوي الميلادين، ليس بمجرد النسب يولد حقًّا مقامُ البراهمة. إنما العمل القويم والممارسة المقدسة هما القوّة في هذا العالم؛ فإذا غابت الممارسة فمن أين يكون الثمر؟

Word by Word

• जाति: birth, caste
• जाति: Upapada (in compound)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जाति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; (मात्रेण इति समासपूर्वपद)

• मात्रेण: by mere measure/only
• मात्रेण: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मात्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन; (जाति-मात्रेण = केवल-जात्या)

• विप्रत्वम्: Brahminhood
• विप्रत्वम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विप्रत्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• जायते: arises, is born
• जायते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: जन् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

• न: not
• न: Avyaya (Negation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-अव्यय

• हि: indeed
• हि: Avyaya (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात; हेत्वर्थ/निश्चयार्थ (particle: 'indeed/for')

• भो: O!
• भो: Sambodhana (Address)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: भो (अव्यय)
• Form: संबोधन-निपात (vocative particle)

• द्विजाः: O twice-born
• द्विजाः: Sambodhana (Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्विज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; संबोधनार्थे (vocative sense)

• क्रिया: ritual action, practice
• क्रिया: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्रिया (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• बलवती: powerful, effective
• बलवती: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: बलवत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (क्रिया)

• लोके: in the world
• लोके: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लोक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• क्रिया: action, practice
• क्रिया: Upapada (in compound)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्रिया (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; (हीने इति विशेषणार्थे)

• हीने: in (one) devoid of
• हीने: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: हीन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (7th/Locative), एकवचन; विशेषण (लोके/जन इत्यर्थे: 'in one devoid of action')

• कुतः: how/whence
• कुतः: Avyaya (Interrogative)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: कुतः (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रश्नार्थक अव्यय (interrogative adverb: 'whence/how')

• फलम्: result, fruit
• फलम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: फल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

Speaker

Rāma (contextual continuation)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Dharmāraṇya (contextual)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: dvijāḥ addressed

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A teaching assembly: elders and dvijas listening as a speaker points to a ritual manual and then to a practitioner performing daily rites, contrasting mere lineage pride with disciplined practice; the moral is shown through two figures—one adorned but idle, another simple but devoted.

Characters & Entities

• Dvija
• Vipra

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Spiritual authority and merit arise from dharmic conduct and disciplined practice, not from birth alone.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific tirtha is directly glorified in this verse; it is a general dharma principle.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Emphasis on kriyā (proper practice/observance); without it, expected phala (results) should not be assumed.