Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 16

Devanagari script

तदर्थं शरदश्चांते शुभर्त्तौ ब्राह्मणोत्तमाः । चातुश्चरणसंपन्नाः संस्थाप्याः षोडशैव तु

Transliteration

tadarthaṃ śaradaścāṃte śubharttau brāhmaṇottamāḥ | cātuścaraṇasaṃpannāḥ saṃsthāpyāḥ ṣoḍaśaiva tu

Translation

Daher sollen zu einer glückverheißenden Zeit am Ende des Herbstes sechzehn vortreffliche Brahmanen, voll ausgestattet mit den vier „Füßen“ (vedisches Wissen und rechte Lebensführung), für dieses Ritual feierlich eingesetzt und gesetzt werden.

Word by Word

• तदर्थम्: for that purpose
• तदर्थम्: Purpose adjunct (प्रयोजन)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तदर्थ (प्रातिपदिक: तत् + अर्थ)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव-प्रयोग (accusative used adverbially) ‘तस्य अर्थम्’ इति षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः; अर्थे ‘for that purpose’

• शरदः: of autumn
• शरदः: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शरद् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), एकवचन; ‘शरदः अन्ते’ = at the end of autumn

• च: and
• च: Connector (समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक अव्यय (conjunction)

• अन्ते: at the end
• अन्ते: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अन्त (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन; कालाधिकरणे

• शुभर्त्तौ: in the auspicious season
• शुभर्त्तौ: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शुभर्तु (प्रातिपदिक: शुभ + ऋतु)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन; ‘शुभः ऋतुः’ इति कर्मधारयः; कालाधिकरणे

• ब्राह्मणोत्तमाः: excellent Brahmins
• ब्राह्मणोत्तमाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्राह्मणोत्तम (प्रातिपदिक: ब्राह्मण + उत्तम)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), बहुवचन; ‘उत्तमाः ब्राह्मणाः’ इति कर्मधारयः

• चातुश्चरणसंपन्नाः: endowed with four qualifications/quarters
• चातुश्चरणसंपन्नाः: Karta (Subject qualifier/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: चातुः-चरण-संपन्न (प्रातिपदिक: चातुः + चरण + संपन्न)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; ‘चातुःचरणैः संपन्नाः’ (having four ‘caraṇa’/quarters—i.e., fully qualified)

• संस्थाप्याः: should be स्थापित/installed
• संस्थाप्याः: Predicate (Vidhi/विधेय)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सम्+स्था (धातु) → संस्थाप्य (कृदन्त)
• Form: तव्यत्-प्रत्ययान्त (gerundive), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; विधेय-विशेषणम्—‘to be installed/appointed’

• षोडश: sixteen
• षोडश: Karta (Subject qualifier/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: षोडश (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: संख्यावाचक, पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन (ब्राह्मणोत्तमाः इत्यस्य विशेषणम्)

• एव: indeed/only
• एव: Emphasis (अवधारण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारणार्थक अव्यय (emphatic particle)

• तु: but/indeed
• तु: Discourse particle (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: विरोध/अन्वयबोधक निपात (contrastive particle)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced from Nāgarakhaṇḍa Tīrthamāhātmya instructional style; common Skanda→listener framing)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Garttā-tīrtha (contextual)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Sixteen brāhmaṇas are ceremonially appointed and seated in an orderly arrangement at a tīrtha pavilion during late autumn; ritual vessels, darbha, and manuscripts indicate Vedic completeness.

Characters & Entities

• Brāhmaṇa
• Śarad (autumn)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred rites at a tīrtha should be performed with proper timing and with qualified, disciplined Brāhmaṇas so that the act becomes dharma-filled and merit-bearing.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The surrounding verses indicate Garttā-tīrtha (Garttātīrtha) as the focal sacred site in this adhyāya.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Install/seat sixteen well-qualified Brāhmaṇas at an auspicious time at the end of autumn for the intended tīrtha-rite.