Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 27

Devanagari script

सामवेदांगपारज्ञास्त्रैविद्या धर्म वित्तमाः । तपोनिष्ठा शुभाचाराः सत्यव्रतपरायणाः

Transliteration

sāmavedāṃgapārajñāstraividyā dharma vittamāḥ | taponiṣṭhā śubhācārāḥ satyavrataparāyaṇāḥ

Translation

Sie kannten das jenseitige Ufer des Sāmaveda und seiner Hilfslehren; sie waren in der dreifachen vedischen Überlieferung bewandert, hervorragende Kenner des Dharma—standhaft in Tapas, von edlem Wandel, den Gelübden der Wahrheit ergeben.

Word by Word

• सामवेदाङ्गपारज्ञाः: knowers who have crossed/ mastered the Sāmaveda and Vedāṅgas
• सामवेदाङ्गपारज्ञाः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सामवेद (प्रातिपदिक) + वेदाङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक) + पारज्ञ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), बहुवचन; तत्पुरुष-समास (सामवेदे वेदाङ्गेषु च पारज्ञाः)

• त्रैविद्याः: versed in the threefold Vedic knowledge
• त्रैविद्याः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: त्रैविद्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), बहुवचन; ‘त्रयी-विद्या-युक्ताः’

• धर्मवित्तमाः: best knowers of dharma
• धर्मवित्तमाः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: धर्म (प्रातिपदिक) + वित्तम (प्रातिपदिक; ‘श्रेष्ठ-विद्’)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), बहुवचन; तत्पुरुष (धर्मं विदन्ति—धर्मवित्तमाः)

• तपोनिष्ठाः: steadfast in austerity
• तपोनिष्ठाः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तपस् (प्रातिपदिक) + निष्ठ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), बहुवचन; तत्पुरुष (तपसि निष्ठा येषाम्)

• शुभाचाराः: of good conduct
• शुभाचाराः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शुभ (प्रातिपदिक) + आचार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), बहुवचन; कर्मधारय (शुभः आचारः येषाम्)

• सत्यव्रतपरायणाः: devoted to vows of truth
• सत्यव्रतपरायणाः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सत्यव्रत (प्रातिपदिक) + परायण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), बहुवचन; तत्पुरुष (सत्यव्रते परायणाः)

Speaker

Unspecified in snippet (narrative description within the dialogue)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Dharmāraṇya Kṣetra (contextual)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A serene assembly of ascetic Brahmins: some sing Sāmans (Sāmaveda), others sit in meditation; their faces convey truthfulness and restraint; minimal possessions emphasize tapas.

Characters & Entities

• Sāmaveda
• Dharma

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

A tīrtha’s greatness is upheld by those grounded in truth, austerity, and dharmic conduct—not by mere residence.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Dharmāraṇya, through the glorification of its disciplined, truth-bound Brāhmaṇas.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Implicit emphasis on satya-vrata (vow of truth) and tapas (austerity), not a specific ritual procedure.