Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 17

Devanagari script

वेदविक्रय कर्तारो ब्राह्मणाः शौचवर्जिताः । पापप्रतिग्रहासक्ताः सन्ध्याहीनाः सुनिर्घृणाः

Transliteration

vedavikraya kartāro brāhmaṇāḥ śaucavarjitāḥ | pāpapratigrahāsaktāḥ sandhyāhīnāḥ sunirghṛṇāḥ

Translation

Brahmanen werden zu Verkäufern der Veden, ohne Reinheit; sie hängen an sündhaften Gaben, sind der Sandhyā-Riten beraubt und von grausamem Herzen.

Word by Word

• veda-vikraya-kartāraḥ: sellers of the Veda
• veda-vikraya-kartāraḥ: Kartā (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: veda (प्रातिपदिक) + vikraya (प्रातिपदिक) + kartṛ (कृदन्त; √kṛ कृ)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; कर्तृ-शब्दः (agent noun)

• brāhmaṇāḥ: Brahmins
• brāhmaṇāḥ: Kartā (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brāhmaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; apposition to kartāraḥ

• śauca-varjitāḥ: devoid of purity
• śauca-varjitāḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śauca (प्रातिपदिक) + varjita (कृदन्त; √vṛj/varj वर्ज्)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; विशेषण—brāhmaṇāḥ

• pāpa-pratigraha-āsaktāḥ: attached to sinful acceptance of gifts
• pāpa-pratigraha-āsaktāḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pāpa (प्रातिपदिक) + pratigraha (प्रातिपदिक) + āsakta (कृदन्त; √sañj/saṅg सञ्ज्/सङ्ग् with ā-)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; विशेषण—brāhmaṇāḥ

• sandhyā-hīnāḥ: without the sandhyā rites
• sandhyā-hīnāḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sandhyā (प्रातिपदिक) + hīna (प्रातिपदिक/कृदन्त-भाव; √hā हा)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; विशेषण—brāhmaṇāḥ

• su-nirghṛṇāḥ: very merciless
• su-nirghṛṇāḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: su (अव्यय-उपसर्ग/प्रादि) + nirghṛṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; विशेषण—brāhmaṇāḥ

Speaker

Nārada

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A Brāhmaṇa marketplace scene where palm-leaf Veda manuscripts are weighed like goods, while sandhyā time passes with the sun setting and no ritual—contrasted with a lone sincere practitioner at a riverbank.

Characters & Entities

• Nārada
• Brāhmaṇas
• Veda
• Sandhyā

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred knowledge and religious office must not become commerce; purity, daily worship, and ethical livelihood protect dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific tīrtha is mentioned in this verse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Sandhyā (Sandhyā-vandana/twilight worship) is referenced as a neglected daily obligation.