Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 1

Devanagari script

भर्तृयज्ञ उवाच । एतत्सामान्यतः प्रोक्तं मया श्राद्धं यथा नरैः । कर्त्तव्यं विप्रपूर्वैर्यद्वर्णैः पार्थिवसत्तम

Transliteration

bhartṛyajña uvāca | etatsāmānyataḥ proktaṃ mayā śrāddhaṃ yathā naraiḥ | karttavyaṃ viprapūrvairyadvarṇaiḥ pārthivasattama

Translation

Bhartṛyajña sprach: „O bester der Könige, ich habe im Allgemeinen dargelegt, wie das śrāddha von den Menschen der verschiedenen varṇa, beginnend mit den Brāhmaṇas, zu vollziehen ist.“

Word by Word

• भर्तृयज्ञः: Bhartṛyajña
• भर्तृयज्ञः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भर्तृयज्ञ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा, एकवचन; वक्ता-निर्देशः

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect/लिट्), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• एतत्: this
• एतत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम; नपुंसकलिङ्गे, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘this’

• सामान्यतः: generally
• सामान्यतः: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सामान्यतस् (अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययम्; क्रियाविशेषणम् (generally)

• प्रोक्तम्: stated
• प्रोक्तम्: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र + वच् (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्तः—भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (PPP); नपुंसकलिङ्गे, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘declared/said’

• मया: by me
• मया: Karta (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम; तृतीया (3rd), एकवचन; करणम्/कर्तृ (by me)

• श्राद्धम्: śrāddha rite
• श्राद्धम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्राद्ध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• यथा: as
• यथा: Sambandha-bodhaka (Conjunctive/अव्यय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्ययम्; उपमान/प्रकारवाचक (as/how)

• नरैः: by men
• नरैः: Karta (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, तृतीया, बहुवचन; कर्तृ (by men)

• कर्तव्यं: to be done
• कर्तव्यं: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्तः—तव्यत्-प्रत्ययान्त (gerundive/obligatory) ‘कर्तव्य’; नपुंसकलिङ्गे, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विधेय (to be done)

• विप्रपूर्वैः: with brāhmaṇas foremost
• विप्रपूर्वैः: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: विप्र (प्रातिपदिक) + पूर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, तृतीया, बहुवचन; ‘विप्र-पूर्व’ = ‘with brāhmaṇas first’; विशेषणम् (यद्वर्णैः)

• यद्वर्णैः: by whichever varṇas
• यद्वर्णैः: Karta (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + वर्ण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, तृतीया, बहुवचन; ‘यद्-वर्ण’ = ‘which classes/castes’; करण/कर्तृ-सम्बन्धे

• पार्थिवसत्तम: O best of kings
• पार्थिवसत्तम: Sambodhana (Vocative/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पार्थिव (प्रातिपदिक) + सत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, सम्बोधन (8th/सम्बोधन), एकवचन; संबोधनम्

Speaker

Bhartṛyajña

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra (contextual)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: A king (addressed as pārthiva-sattama)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A sage (Bhartṛyajña) instructs a king in a quiet assembly: the king seated respectfully, the sage gesturing as he summarizes śrāddha rules for all varṇas.

Characters & Entities

• Bhartṛyajña
• Śrāddha
• Vipra (Brāhmaṇa)
• Pārthiva (King)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Śrāddha is a shared dharmic duty across society, taught in an ordered way while honoring the traditional precedence of brāhmaṇas in ritual.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The instruction is situated within the Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra Māhātmya, though this verse functions as a transition into detailed rules.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

It frames śrāddha as to be performed by members of the varṇas, and signals that the general method has been given before moving to particulars.