Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 30

Devanagari script

त्रयीमयं ब्रह्मविष्णुरुद्ररूपं त्रिविष्टपम् । यस्य प्रभावाद्विप्रेंद्र मानवो द्विज उच्यते

Transliteration

trayīmayaṃ brahmaviṣṇurudrarūpaṃ triviṣṭapam | yasya prabhāvādvipreṃdra mānavo dvija ucyate

Translation

O Bester der Brahmanen, das, was aus den drei Veden besteht – sich als Brahma, Vishnu und Rudra manifestierend – und was selbst das himmlische Reich ist: durch dessen Kraft wird ein Mensch ‚zweimalgeboren‘ genannt.

Word by Word

• त्रयीमयम्: consisting of the three Vedas
• त्रयीमयम्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: त्रयी (प्रातिपदिक) + मयट् (तद्धित) → मय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (त्रय्या मयम्/consisting of the three Vedas), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• ब्रह्मविष्णुरुद्ररूपम्: having the form of Brahmā, Viṣṇu, and Rudra
• ब्रह्मविष्णुरुद्ररूपम्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ब्रह्मन् (प्रातिपदिक) + विष्णु (प्रातिपदिक) + रुद्र (प्रातिपदिक) + रूप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (ब्रह्मविष्णुरुद्राणां रूपम्), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• त्रिविष्टपम्: heaven (Triviṣṭapa)
• त्रिविष्टपम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्रि (संख्या) + विष्टप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: द्विगु-समास (त्रयः विष्टपाः/त्रिविष्टप), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘त्रिविष्टप’ = स्वर्ग (heaven)

• यस्य: whose
• यस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठी-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, षष्ठी (6th/genitive), एकवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक

• प्रभावात्: from the power/effect
• प्रभावात्: Hetu/Apādāna (Cause/Source/हेतु/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रभाव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/ablative), एकवचन

• विप्रेन्द्र: O chief of brāhmaṇas
• विप्रेन्द्र: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विप्र (प्रातिपदिक) + इन्द्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (विप्राणाम् इन्द्रः), पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th/vocative), एकवचन

• मानवः: a human
• मानवः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मानव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/nominative), एकवचन

• द्विजः: twice-born
• द्विजः: Karma (Predicate complement/विधेय)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्विज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/nominative), एकवचन; विधेय-नाम (predicate nominative)

• उच्यते: is called
• उच्यते: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु) + उत् (उपसर्ग)
• Form: लट् (present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; कर्मणि प्रयोग (passive)

Speaker

Sūta (deduced: Nāgara Khaṇḍa māhātmya narration style)

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: viprendra (addressed)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A luminous triadic form: Brahmā, Viṣṇu, and Rudra emerge from a single Vedic radiance (three scrolls/three flames), forming a celestial gateway labeled ‘Trivisṭapa’; a human figure receives the upanayana thread as the Veda’s grace descends.

Characters & Entities

• Brahmā
• Viṣṇu
• Rudra
• Trayī (Three Vedas)
• Triviṣṭapa (Heaven)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

True spiritual identity is tied to Vedic discipline and sacred refinement, not merely to worldly birth.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Within Nāgara Khaṇḍa’s Tīrthamāhātmya, the teaching functions as a general tīrtha-context praise of Vedic-sacral power; the exact site is not named in this single verse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No direct ritual is prescribed here; it frames the theological basis for being called ‘dvija’ (twice-born).