Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 21

Devanagari script

ब्रह्मोवाच । ब्रह्मशापं न शक्तोऽह मन्यथाकर्तुमेवच । उपायं च करिष्यामि सांप्रतं त्रिदशाधिप

Transliteration

brahmovāca | brahmaśāpaṃ na śakto'ha manyathākartumevaca | upāyaṃ ca kariṣyāmi sāṃprataṃ tridaśādhipa

Translation

Brahmā sprach: „Ich vermag nicht, den Fluch eines Brahmanen anders ausgehen zu lassen. Doch, o Herr der dreißig Götter, jetzt werde ich ein Mittel ersinnen.“

Word by Word

• ब्रह्मा: Brahmā
• ब्रह्मा: Karta (Speaker/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा एकवचन

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Speech act/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकारः (perfect), परस्मैपदम्, प्रथमपुरुषः, एकवचन

• ब्रह्मशापम्: Brahmā’s curse
• ब्रह्मशापम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्म-शाप (प्रातिपदिक; ब्रह्मन् + शाप)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (ब्रह्मणः शापः)

• न: not
• न: Pratishedha (Negation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-निपात (negation particle)

• शक्तः: able, capable
• शक्तः: Karta (Predicate adjective)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शक्त (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा एकवचन; विशेषण (अहम्-सम्बद्ध)

• अहम्: I
• अहम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: प्रथमा एकवचन

• मन्यथा: otherwise, differently
• मन्यथा: Prakara (Manner/प्रकार)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अन्यथा (अव्यय)
• Form: रीतिवाचक-अव्यय (adverb: otherwise)

• कर्तुम्: to do, to make
• कर्तुम्: Prayojana (Purpose/प्रयोजन)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु) + तुमुन्
• Form: तुमन्त (infinitive), कर्तरि; धातुः कृ (to do/make)

• एव: indeed
• एव: Sambandha (Emphasis)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (emphasis)

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Coordination)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (conjunction)

• उपायम्: a means, a remedy
• उपायम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: उपाय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया एकवचन

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Coordination)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (conjunction)

• करिष्यामि: I will do/make
• करिष्यामि: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: लृट्-लकारः (simple future), परस्मैपदम्, उत्तमपुरुषः, एकवचन

• साम्प्रतम्: now, at present
• साम्प्रतम्: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: साम्प्रतम् (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (at present/now)

• त्रिदशाधिप: O lord of the gods
• त्रिदशाधिप: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्रिदश-अधिप (प्रातिपदिक; त्रिदश + अधिप)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (त्रिदशानाम् अधिपः)

Speaker

Brahmā

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Indra (Tridaśādhipa)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Brahmā speaks to Indra (lord of the thirty gods), acknowledging inability to reverse a brahmin’s curse while promising a devised means; a divine court listens.

Characters & Entities

• Brahmā
• Indra (Tridaśādhipa)
• Brahmaśāpa (curse)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Even the highest gods honor dharma: the force of a righteous curse cannot be casually overturned, so one must seek a lawful remedy.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

This verse is part of the Tīrthamāhātmya flow in Nāgarakhaṇḍa, Adhyāya 139; the specific tīrtha is not named within this single shloka.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No direct ritual (snāna, dāna, japa, vrata) is prescribed in this verse; it frames a dharmic resolution to a curse.