Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 4

Devanagari script

सुखेन स्वान्सदाचारान्कुर्वन्तो ब्रह्मवादिनः । एवं धर्मसमाचारान्कुर्वतां कुशलात्मनाम्

Transliteration

sukhena svānsadācārānkurvanto brahmavādinaḥ | evaṃ dharmasamācārānkurvatāṃ kuśalātmanām

Translation

Jene Verkünder des Brahman vollzogen in Frieden ihre eigenen guten Bräuche. So, während die von wohlgeordneter Seele die rechten Observanzen des Dharma übten…

Word by Word

• sukhena: with ease, happily
• sukhena: Karana (Manner/Means)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sukha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन; क्रियाविशेषणार्थे (with ease)

• svān: their own
• svān: Karma (Object-qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), बहुवचन; विशेषणम् (sadācārān)

• sad-ācārān: good conduct, proper practices
• sad-ācārān: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sat (प्रातिपदिक) + ācāra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), बहुवचन; समासः—कर्मधारयः (सद् ācāraḥ)

• kurvantaḥ: doing, performing
• kurvantaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √kṛ (कृ—करणे धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त—शतृ (present active participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन

• brahma-vādinaḥ: expounders of Brahman / Vedic speakers
• brahma-vādinaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brahman (प्रातिपदिक) + vādin (प्रातिपदिक; √vad—वदने)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (brahma vadanti)

• evam: thus
• evam: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: evam (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रकारवाचक-अव्यय (adverb)

• dharma-samācārān: religious observances, dharmic practices
• dharma-samācārān: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dharma (प्रातिपदिक) + samācāra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), बहुवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (dharmasya samācārāḥ)

• kurvatām: of those who perform
• kurvatām: Shashthi-sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √kṛ (कृ—करणे धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त—शतृ (present active participle), पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन; 'कुर्वताम्' = of those doing

• kuśala-ātmanām: of the virtuous/sound-minded persons
• kuśala-ātmanām: Shashthi-sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kuśala (प्रातिपदिक) + ātman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन; समासः—कर्मधारयः (kuśalaḥ ātmā yeṣām)

Speaker

Brahmā

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Dharmāraṇya (contextual frame)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Nārada

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Brahmavādins in a tranquil ashram-like neighborhood: morning routines, teaching, hospitality to travelers, and orderly ritual—faces serene, movements unhurried; a sense of dharma as lived atmosphere.

Characters & Entities

• Brahmavādin
• Sadācāra
• Dharma

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharma is sustained through steady sadācāra—quiet, consistent right conduct—rather than agitation and dispute.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No tīrtha is mentioned; the praise is directed to dharma-observance itself.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No single rite is named; the verse emphasizes continued performance of accepted dharma-observances (samācāra).