Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 1

Devanagari script

भर्तृयज्ञ उवाच । येषां च शस्त्रमृत्युः स्यादपमृत्युरथापि वा । उपसर्गान्मृतानां च विषमृत्युमुपेयुषाम्

Transliteration

bhartṛyajña uvāca | yeṣāṃ ca śastramṛtyuḥ syādapamṛtyurathāpi vā | upasargānmṛtānāṃ ca viṣamṛtyumupeyuṣām

Translation

Bhartṛyajña dijo: «Para quienes mueren por armas, o por muerte intempestiva; para quienes perecen a causa de calamidades; y para quienes encuentran la muerte por veneno—»

Word by Word

• bhartṛyajñaḥ: Bhartṛyajña
• bhartṛyajñaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhartṛ-yajña (प्रातिपदिक; भर्तृ + यज्ञ)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; वक्ता (speaker)

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect/परोक्षभूत), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• yeṣām: of whom/whose
• yeṣām: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (प्रातिपदिक; यद्-प्रोनाउन)
• Form: षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), बहुवचन; सम्बन्ध (genitive)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (conjunction): समुच्चय

• śastra-mṛtyuḥ: death by weapon
• śastra-mṛtyuḥ: Karta (Predicate subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śastra-mṛtyu (प्रातिपदिक; शस्त्र + मृत्यु)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; कर्तृसमानाधिकरण (predicate nominative)

• syāt: may be / would be
• syāt: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: as (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative/विधिलिङ्), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• apa-mṛtyuḥ: untimely death
• apa-mṛtyuḥ: Karta (Predicate subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: apa-mṛtyu (प्रातिपदिक; अप + मृत्यु)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; कर्तृसमानाधिकरण

• atha: or
• atha: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atha (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (particle): ‘or/then’ (here: disjunctive)

• api: also/even
• api: Sambandha (Emphasis/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (particle): ‘also/even’

• vā: or
• vā: Sambandha (Alternative/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (disjunctive particle): विकल्प

• upasargāt: from (an) affliction/disease
• upasargāt: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: upasarga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/पञ्चमी), एकवचन; अपादान (ablative)

• mṛtānām: of the dead (persons)
• mṛtānām: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mṛta (कृदन्त; √mṛ (धातु) + क्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), बहुवचन; भूतकृदन्त (past participle) used substantively

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (conjunction): समुच्चय

• viṣa-mṛtyum: death by poison
• viṣa-mṛtyum: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: viṣa-mṛtyu (प्रातिपदिक; विष + मृत्यु)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; कर्म (object)

• upeyuṣām: of those who have met/undergone
• upeyuṣām: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: upa-√i (धातु) → upeyuṣ (कृदन्त; लिट्-कृदन्त/परफेक्ट पार्टिसिपल)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), बहुवचन; कर्तरि कृदन्तः ‘having reached/undergone’

Speaker

Bhartṛyajña

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Bhartṛyajña begins a query/list about those who died violently or untimely; the atmosphere is somber, with symbolic imagery of weapons, storm/calamity, and a poison vessel, contrasted with ritual lamps promising relief.

Characters & Entities

• Bhartṛyajña
• Śastramṛtyu (death by weapon)
• Apamṛtyu (untimely death)
• Viṣamṛtyu (death by poison)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purāṇic Dharma recognizes many difficult modes of death and prepares ritual means to protect the departed and the family’s dharmic continuity.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The discourse continues within the Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra Māhātmya of the Nāgara Khaṇḍa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

This verse opens a list of special death-cases; the specific remedial rite is introduced in subsequent verses.