Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 29

Devanagari script

अथ वेदिं समासाद्य गृह्योक्तविधिनाऽखिलम् । अग्निकार्यं यथोद्दिष्टं चकाराथ सुविस्तरम्

Transliteration

atha vediṃ samāsādya gṛhyoktavidhinā'khilam | agnikāryaṃ yathoddiṣṭaṃ cakārātha suvistaram

Translation

Dann trat er an den Opferaltar heran und vollzog nach der im Gṛhya überlieferten Vorschrift das Feueropfer genau wie angewiesen, in umfassender und sorgfältiger Ausführung.

Word by Word

• atha: then
• atha: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Sequence)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atha (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, आरम्भ/अनन्तरवाचक निपात (then/now)

• vedim: the altar
• vedim: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vedi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• samāsādya: having approached
• samāsādya: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Prior action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sam-ā-sad (धातु)
• Form: ल्यप्/क्त्वा-समकक्ष अव्ययकृदन्त (Gerund), ‘having approached/reached’

• gṛhya-ukta-vidhinā: by the rule prescribed in the Gṛhya texts
• gṛhya-ukta-vidhinā: Karaṇa (Instrument/Means)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gṛhya (प्रातिपदिक) + ukta (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक) + vidhi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine) / नपुंसकलिङ्ग (as vidhiḥ masc.), तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘by the procedure stated in the Gṛhya (sūtras)’

• akhilam: entirely/all
• akhilam: Karma (Object qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: akhila (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifying the whole rite)

• agni-kāryam: the fire-ritual duties
• agni-kāryam: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: agni (प्रातिपदिक) + kārya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• yathā-uddiṣṭam: as directed
• yathā-uddiṣṭam: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Manner)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yathā (अव्यय) + uddiṣṭa (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभावसमासान्त अव्यय, ‘as instructed’

• cakāra: performed/did
• cakāra: Kriyā (Main verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kṛ (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• atha: then
• atha: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Sequence)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atha (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, अनन्तरवाचक निपात

• su-vistaram: very elaborately
• su-vistaram: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Manner)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: su (उपसर्ग/अव्यय) + vistara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभावसमासान्त अव्यय, ‘in great detail’

Speaker

Narrator (Purāṇic narrator; specific speaker not stated in snippet)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Brahmā approaches the vedi and performs an elaborate agni-kārya: kindled fire, ladles, ghee offerings, mantra recitation, orderly ritual implements arranged around the altar.

Characters & Entities

• Agni (Vibhāvasu)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharma is strengthened when sacred rites are performed with accuracy, completeness, and reverence for scriptural procedure.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse sits within a Tīrthamāhātmya context of Nāgarakhaṇḍa, but the exact tīrtha name is not given in this snippet.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Performance of agni-kārya (fire-rite) according to Gṛhya-vidhi, i.e., domestic/householder ritual injunctions.