Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 9

Devanagari script

ब्राह्मणैः सकलैः प्रोक्तं ब्राह्मणीति भवत्वियम् । अस्माकं वचनाद्ब्रह्मन्कुरु हस्तग्रहं विभो

Transliteration

brāhmaṇaiḥ sakalaiḥ proktaṃ brāhmaṇīti bhavatviyam | asmākaṃ vacanādbrahmankuru hastagrahaṃ vibho

Translation

সকল ব্রাহ্মণ বললেন—‘একে ব্রাহ্মণী নামে অভিহিত করা হোক।’ অতএব, হে ব্রহ্মন, আমাদের বাক্যে, হে বিভো, এর পাণিগ্রহণ (বিবাহ) সম্পন্ন করুন।

Word by Word

• ब्राह्मणैः: by the Brahmins
• ब्राह्मणैः: Karta (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्राह्मण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• सकलैः: all
• सकलैः: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सकल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; विशेषण (ब्राह्मणैः)

• प्रोक्तम्: was spoken
• प्रोक्तम्: Karma (Predicate/कर्म)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र-√वच् (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (PPP), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘was said’

• ब्राह्मणी: (as) ‘Brāhmaṇī’
• ब्राह्मणी: Predicate nominative (समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्राह्मणी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; नाम/उपाधि

• इति: thus
• इति: Vākyasaṃjñā (Quotation marker/इत्यर्थ)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति (अव्यय)
• Form: उद्धरण-निपात (quotative particle)

• भवतु: let (her/it) be
• भवतु: Kriyā (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: लोट्-लकार (imperative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; ‘let it be’

• इयम्: this (woman)
• इयम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• अस्माकम्: of us/our
• अस्माकम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; उत्तमपुरुष-सर्वनाम

• वचनात्: from (our) word; by (our) command
• वचनात्: Apādāna (Cause/Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वचन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; हेत्वर्थे ‘because of/according to the word’

• ब्रह्मन्: O Brahman
• ब्रह्मन्: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• कुरु: do
• कुरु: Kriyā (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: लोट्-लकार (imperative), मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन

• हस्तग्रहम्: hand-taking (marriage rite)
• हस्तग्रहम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हस्त (प्रातिपदिक) + ग्रह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (हस्तस्य ग्रहः)

• विभो: O Lord
• विभो: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विभु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति, एकवचन

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) to the sages (deduced)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A circle of brāhmaṇas formally proclaim the maiden ‘Brāhmaṇī’ and urge the groom/ritual agent to perform hasta-grahaṇa; the marriage moment is about to be sealed.

Characters & Entities

• Brāhmaṇas
• Brahmā (addressed as Brahman)
• Brāhmaṇī (epithet/title)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Ritual acts gain dhārmic legitimacy through proper sanction and right procedure, upheld by the learned and the sacred tradition.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse contributes to the tīrtha’s sanctity by narrating a foundational dharma-event; the site-name is not stated in this particular line.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Hasta-graha (the formal ‘taking of the hand’)—a key marriage rite—explicitly appears.