Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 33

Devanagari script

अष्टादशसहस्राणां द्विजानामभवत्कुलम् । वात्स्यायन उपमन्युर्जातूकर्ण्योऽथ पिंगलः

Transliteration

aṣṭādaśasahasrāṇāṃ dvijānāmabhavatkulam | vātsyāyana upamanyurjātūkarṇyo'tha piṃgalaḥ

Translation

Aus den achtzehntausend «Zweimalgeborenen» (Brāhmaṇas) gingen eigene Geschlechterlinien hervor: Vātsyāyana, Upamanyu, Jātūkarṇya und sodann Piṅgala.

Word by Word

• aṣṭādaśa-sahasrāṇām: of eighteen thousand
• aṣṭādaśa-sahasrāṇām: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: aṣṭādaśa (प्रातिपदिक) + sahasra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), बहुवचन; द्विगुसमासः (numeral compound)

• dvijānām: of the twice-born (Brahmins)
• dvijānām: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dvija (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), बहुवचन

• abhavat: became/was
• abhavat: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: bhū (धातु)
• Form: लङ् (Imperfect/लङ्), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन

• kulam: a lineage/family
• kulam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kula (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन

• vātsyāyanaḥ: Vātsyāyana
• vātsyāyanaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vātsyāyana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; गोत्र/ऋषिनाम

• upamanyuḥ: Upamanyu
• upamanyuḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: upamanyu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; ऋषिनाम

• jātūkarṇyaḥ: Jātūkarṇya
• jātūkarṇyaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: jātūkarṇya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; गोत्र/ऋषिनाम

• atha: then/and
• atha: Sambandha (Discourse connective)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atha (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अनुक्रमसूचक/समुच्चयार्थक (then/and then)

• piṃgalaḥ: Piṅgala
• piṃgalaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: piṃgala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; नाम

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) (deduced from Purāṇic narration style within Brāhma Khaṇḍa)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Dharmāraṇya (contextual)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A calm assembly of venerable ṛṣis and brāhmaṇas in a forest hermitage, with palm-leaf manuscripts; a narrator recites names as disciples listen in attentive silence.

Characters & Entities

• Vātsyāyana
• Upamanyu
• Jātūkarṇya
• Piṅgala
• Dvija (Brāhmaṇa)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharmic society is upheld through recognized lineages and disciplined transmission of Vedic learning within sacred regions.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The broader setting is Dharmāraṇya, a sacred forest-region whose sanctity is reinforced by the presence of learned brāhmaṇa lineages.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None directly; the verse functions as a genealogical listing supporting the Mahātmya of the region.