Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 6

Devanagari script

बृहत्कल्पे पुरा विप्रा वर्धमाने पुरोत्तमे । बहुशिष्यसमायुक्तो वेदाध्ययनतत्परः

Transliteration

bṛhatkalpe purā viprā vardhamāne purottame | bahuśiṣyasamāyukto vedādhyayanatatparaḥ

Translation

In uralter Zeit, o Brahmanen, lebte er in der vortrefflichen Stadt namens Vardhamāna, umgeben von vielen Schülern, ganz dem Studium und der Lehre des Veda hingegeben.

Word by Word

• bṛhat-kalpe: in the great kalpa
• bṛhat-kalpe: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bṛhat (प्रातिपदिक) + kalpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन; समासः—कर्मधारयः (विशेषण-विशेष्यभावः)

• purā: formerly, once
• purā: Kriyavisheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: purā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (temporal adverb)

• viprāḥ: brahmins
• viprāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vipra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), बहुवचन

• vardhamāne: in (the place) called Vardhamāna / in the flourishing (place)
• vardhamāne: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vardhamāna (कृदन्त; √vṛdh वर्धते)
• Form: वर्तमानकाले शतृ-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (present participle); नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (to implied ‘kṣetre/nagare’ or to ‘purottame’)

• purottame: in the best city
• purottame: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pura (प्रातिपदिक) + uttama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (षष्ठी/कर्मधारय-सन्निकर्षे ‘पुराणाम् उत्तमम्’ = best of cities)

• bahu-śiṣya-samāyuktaḥ: joined with many disciples
• bahu-śiṣya-samāyuktaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: bahu (प्रातिपदिक) + śiṣya (प्रातिपदिक) + samāyukta (कृदन्त; √yuj युज् + सम्, क्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त ‘समायुक्त’; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (बहुभिः शिष्यैः समायुक्तः)

• veda-adhyayana-tat-paraḥ: devoted to Vedic study
• veda-adhyayana-tat-paraḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: veda (प्रातिपदिक) + adhyayana (प्रातिपदिक) + tatpara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (वेदाध्ययने तत्परः = devoted to Vedic study)

Speaker

Sūta

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: viprāḥ (brāhmaṇas)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A venerable brāhmaṇa-ācārya in a prosperous ancient city, seated in a pāṭhaśālā courtyard, surrounded by many disciples reciting Veda; palm-leaf manuscripts, water-pot, kuśa grass, and a calm dawn atmosphere.

Characters & Entities

• Sūta
• Vardhamāna (city)
• Disciples
• Veda

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharma is preserved through disciplined learning communities—guru and disciples dedicated to Vedic study.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The narrative places the episode in the city of Vardhamāna; the broader tīrtha glorification unfolds across the adhyāya.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Vedic adhyayana (study/recitation) is emphasized as a sustained religious discipline.