Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 48

Devanagari script

ऋगथर्वणजा शाखा नष्टा सा च महामते । एवं वै वर्तमानास्ते वाडवा धर्मसंभवाः

Transliteration

ṛgatharvaṇajā śākhā naṣṭā sā ca mahāmate | evaṃ vai vartamānāste vāḍavā dharmasaṃbhavāḥ

Translation

O great-minded one, the branch sprung from the Ṛg and the Atharvan has perished. Thus indeed the Vāḍavas—born of dharma—continue to exist in this manner.

Word by Word

• ṛgatharvaṇajā: born from the Ṛg and Atharva(ṇa) (traditions)
• ṛgatharvaṇajā: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ṛk (प्रातिपदिक) + atharvaṇa (प्रातिपदिक) + ja (कृदन्त/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; विशेषणम्—‘शाखा’ इति पदस्य; समासः—षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (ṛg-atharvaṇa-योः जातः)

• śākhā: branch (school/lineage)
• śākhā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śākhā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• naṣṭā: lost, destroyed
• naṣṭā: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: naś (धातु) → naṣṭa (कृदन्त, भूतकृत्/क्त)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त भूतकर्मणि/भूतभावे; ‘शाखा’ इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

• sā: that (she/it)
• sā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• mahāmate: O great-minded one
• mahāmate: Sambodhana (Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahā-mati (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th/Vocative), एकवचन; समासः—कर्मधारयः (महती मतिः यस्य)

• evaṃ: thus
• evaṃ: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: evaṃ (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रकारवाचक-अव्यय (adverb of manner)

• vai: indeed
• vai: Nipāta (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vai (अव्यय)
• Form: निश्चय/प्रमाणबोधक-अव्यय (emphatic particle)

• vartamānāḥ: existing, present
• vartamānāḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vṛt (धातु) → vartamāna (कृदन्त, शतृ/वर्तमानकृदन्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; वर्तमानकाले स्थितिवाचक; ‘ते’ इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

• te: they
• te: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; सर्वनाम

• vāḍavāḥ: the Vāḍavas (a group/people)
• vāḍavāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vāḍava (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन

• dharmasaṃbhavāḥ: born from dharma, arising from righteousness
• dharmasaṃbhavāḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dharma (प्रातिपदिक) + saṃbhava (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; विशेषणम्—‘vāḍavāḥ’; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (धर्मात् सम्भवः/धर्मसम्भवः)

Speaker

Vyāsa (contextual)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Dharmāraṇya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A forested sacred tract (Dharmāraṇya) with elders recounting vanished Vedic branches; a small group of Vāḍavas stands as a living remnant, holding palm-leaf manuscripts and ritual implements, suggesting continuity amid loss.

Characters & Entities

• Ṛgveda
• Atharvaveda
• śākhā
• Vāḍava

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

It laments the loss of sacred learning while affirming that dharma-born communities endure and must safeguard what remains.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Dharmāraṇya is the sanctified frame for these teachings; the verse itself is about Vedic transmission.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No direct prescription; it provides context on śākhā continuity relevant to Vedic recitation and ritual practice.