Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 3

Devanagari script

शासनानि प्रदत्तानि ब्राह्मणानां महात्मनाम् । अन्यैः पार्थिवशार्दूलैस्तेन तानि हृतान्यलम्

Transliteration

śāsanāni pradattāni brāhmaṇānāṃ mahātmanām | anyaiḥ pārthivaśārdūlaistena tāni hṛtānyalam

Translation

He brazenly confiscated the royal grants that had been bestowed upon great-souled Brāhmaṇas by other lion-like kings.

Word by Word

• śāsanāni: grants, charters, edicts
• śāsanāni: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śāsana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन

• pradattāni: given, bestowed
• pradattāni: Qualifier (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pra- (उपसर्ग) + dā (दा-धातु) + datta (कृदन्त; क्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (PPP)

• brāhmaṇānām: of the Brahmins
• brāhmaṇānām: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Genitive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brāhmaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन

• mahātmanām: of the great-souled
• mahātmanām: Qualifier (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mahā (प्रातिपदिक) + ātman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; कर्मधारयः (महान् आत्मा येषाम्)

• anyaiḥ: by others
• anyaiḥ: Karana (करण/Instrument)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: anya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन

• pārthivaśārdūlaiḥ: by tiger-like kings (mighty rulers)
• pārthivaśārdūlaiḥ: Karana (करण/Agent in passive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pārthiva (प्रातिपदिक) + śārdūla (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः/उपमान-प्रयोगः (पार्थिवानां शार्दूलाः = ‘tigers among kings’)

• tena: by him
• tena: Karana (करण/Agent in passive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• tāni: those (grants)
• tāni: Karma (कर्म/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), बहुवचन; सर्वनाम

• hṛtāni: taken away, seized
• hṛtāni: Kriya (क्रिया/Predicative)
• Type: Verb
• Root: hṛ (हृ-धातु) + hṛta (कृदन्त; क्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (PPP) used predicatively (‘were taken away’)

• alam: completely, indeed
• alam: Emphasis/Adverbial (निपात/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: alam (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; पर्याप्त्यर्थक/अतिशयार्थक-निपात (particle: ‘enough/indeed/utterly’)

Speaker

Narrator (deduced: a Purāṇic narrator within Nāgarakhaṇḍa Tīrthamāhātmya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Royal officers remove copper-plate grants and boundary markers from a peaceful brahmin settlement; elderly Brāhmaṇas raise hands in protest while the king’s banner looms, signaling state-backed injustice.

Characters & Entities

• Brāhmaṇas
• kings (pārthiva)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Seizing what was righteously donated—especially to Brāhmaṇas—is portrayed as a grave breach of rājadharma that generates heavy demerit.

Which specific holy site (Tīrtha) is glorified here?

This verse functions as moral groundwork within the Tīrthamāhātmya narrative; the specific tīrtha is not named in this single line.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No direct ritual is prescribed here; the verse condemns the anti-dharmic act of confiscating established gifts/grants.