Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 14

Devanagari script

एते संपालयिष्यन्ति मर्यादाकारमुत्तमम् । सन्देहेषु च सर्वेषु विवादेषु विशेषतः

Transliteration

ete saṃpālayiṣyanti maryādākāramuttamam | sandeheṣu ca sarveṣu vivādeṣu viśeṣataḥ

Translation

Diese Männer werden die erhabenste maryādā wahren, die Hüterin der Grenzen—rechte Ordnung und Regel—besonders in allen Zweifelsfällen und erst recht in Streitigkeiten.

Word by Word

• ete: these (people)
• ete: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: etad (प्रातिपदिक/सर्वनाम)
• Form: सर्वनाम, पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• saṃpālayiṣyanti: will maintain; will uphold
• saṃpālayiṣyanti: Kriya (Action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: saṃ-√pāl (धातु)
• Form: लृट् (Simple Future), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन, परस्मैपद

• maryādā-kāram: the maker/establisher of proper bounds (order)
• maryādā-kāram: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: maryādā (प्रातिपदिक) + kāra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (मर्यादायाः कारः/कर्ता), पुल्लिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• uttamam: excellent; supreme
• uttamam: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: uttama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; maryādā-kāram इति विशेषण

• sandeheṣu: in doubts; in uncertain matters
• sandeheṣu: Adhikaraṇa (Location/Context)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sandeha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), बहुवचन

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयार्थक (conjunction)

• sarveṣu: in all
• sarveṣu: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, बहुवचन; sandeheṣu/vivādeṣu इत्यस्य विशेषण

• vivādeṣu: in disputes
• vivādeṣu: Adhikaraṇa (Context)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vivāda (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, सप्तमी, बहुवचन

• viśeṣataḥ: especially
• viśeṣataḥ: Kriya-visheshana (Emphasis)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: viśeṣataḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; विशेषार्थक (especially)

Speaker

The king (continuing his directive about appointed custodians/adjudicators)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Gartā-tīrtha (contextual)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A council of Veda-knowing brāhmaṇas stands as guardians of maryādā, mediating disputes; boundary stones, measuring cords, and witnesses appear, with the tīrtha visible nearby to stress sacred stakes.

Characters & Entities

• maryādā

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Order (maryādā) is dharma in action—protecting boundaries and settling disputes preserves peace at sacred places.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Not named in this verse; it supports the operational dharma of the tīrtha community described in the chapter.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it concerns adjudication and maintenance of rules.