Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 72

Devanagari script

ब्राह्मणा ऊचुः । एषा स्याद्ब्राह्मणश्रेष्ठा गोपजातिविवर्जिता । अस्मद्वाक्याच्चतुर्वक्त्र कुरु पाणिग्रहं द्रुतम्

Transliteration

brāhmaṇā ūcuḥ | eṣā syādbrāhmaṇaśreṣṭhā gopajātivivarjitā | asmadvākyāccaturvaktra kuru pāṇigrahaṃ drutam

Translation

Die Brāhmaṇas sprachen: Sie sei als die Vornehmste unter den Brāhmaṇas anzusehen, frei von der Hirtenkaste. Auf unser Wort hin, o Viergesichtiger, vollziehe rasch den Handergreifungs-Ritus.

Word by Word

• brāhmaṇāḥ: the brāhmaṇas
• brāhmaṇāḥ: Karta (Speaker/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brāhmaṇa (ब्राह्मण प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• ūcuḥ: said
• ūcuḥ: Kriyā (Speech act/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (वच् धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार, प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन, परस्मैपद

• eṣā: this (woman)
• eṣā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: etad (एतद् सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• syāt: should be / may be
• syāt: Kriyā (Assertion/possibility/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: as (अस् धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ्-लकार (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• brāhmaṇaśreṣṭhā: a foremost brāhmaṇa woman
• brāhmaṇaśreṣṭhā: Karta (Predicate nominative/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brāhmaṇa (ब्राह्मण) + śreṣṭhā (श्रेष्ठा) (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्मधारय-समासः (श्रेष्ठा ब्राह्मण-स्त्री)

• gopajāti-vivarjitā: free from the cowherd caste
• gopajāti-vivarjitā: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: gopa (गोप) + jāti (जाति) + vivarjita (विवर्जित) (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समासः (गोपजात्या विवर्जिता = devoid of cowherd caste)

• asmad-vākyāt: from our statement / on our word
• asmad-vākyāt: Hetu (Reason/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (अस्मद्) + vākya (वाक्य) (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समासः (अस्माकं वाक्यात्)

• caturvaktra: O four-faced one
• caturvaktra: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: catur (चतुर्) + vaktra (वक्त्र) (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-प्रथमा (Vocative), एकवचन; बहुव्रीहि-समासः (चत्वारि वक्त्राणि यस्य = four-faced)

• kuru: do / perform
• kuru: Preraṇā (Command/प्रेरणा)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kṛ (कृ धातु)
• Form: लोट्-लकार (Imperative), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd person), एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• pāṇigraham: hand-taking (marriage rite)
• pāṇigraham: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pāṇigraha (पाणिग्रह प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समासः (पाणेः ग्रहः = taking the hand)

• drutam: quickly
• drutam: Kriyā-viśeṣaṇa (Manner/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: druta (द्रुत प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: क्रियाविशेषण-अव्यय (adverb: quickly)

Speaker

Brāhmaṇas

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Brahmā (caturvaktra)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A council of Brāhmaṇas pronounces the maiden ‘brāhmaṇī-śreṣṭhā’; Brahmā (caturvaktra) receives the directive to perform pāṇigrahaṇa immediately; gestures are decisive, the atmosphere charged with auspicious urgency.

Characters & Entities

• Brāhmaṇas
• Brahmā (Caturvaktra)
• Gopakanyā

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharma is upheld through recognized spiritual authority; rightful sanction removes doubt and enables sacred action.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No site is named in this verse; it functions within a broader tīrtha-glorification chapter.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Immediate performance of pāṇigraha (handfasting/marriage) is instructed by brāhmaṇic authority.