Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 27

Devanagari script

राजा वृक्षो ब्राह्मणास्तस्य मूलं भृत्याः पर्णा मन्त्रिणस्तस्य शाखाः । तस्मान्मूलं यत्नतो रक्षणीयं मूले गुप्ते नास्ति वृक्षस्य नाशः

Transliteration

rājā vṛkṣo brāhmaṇāstasya mūlaṃ bhṛtyāḥ parṇā mantriṇastasya śākhāḥ | tasmānmūlaṃ yatnato rakṣaṇīyaṃ mūle gupte nāsti vṛkṣasya nāśaḥ

Translation

Le roi est un arbre; les Brāhmaṇas en sont la racine; les serviteurs en sont les feuilles; les ministres en sont les branches. Ainsi la racine doit être gardée avec soin : lorsque la racine est protégée, l’arbre ne périt pas.

Word by Word

• rājā: the king
• rājā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rājan (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• vṛkṣaḥ: (is) a tree
• vṛkṣaḥ: Samānādhikaraṇa (Predicate nominal)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vṛkṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; उपमान/विधेय (rājā = vṛkṣaḥ)

• brāhmaṇāḥ: the brāhmaṇas
• brāhmaṇāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brāhmaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• tasya: of it/of him
• tasya: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसक, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• mūlam: the root
• mūlam: Samānādhikaraṇa (Predicate nominal)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mūla (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विधेय (brāhmaṇāḥ = mūlam)

• bhṛtyāḥ: servants
• bhṛtyāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhṛtya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• parṇāḥ: leaves
• parṇāḥ: Samānādhikaraṇa (Predicate nominal)
• Type: Noun
• Root: parṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; विधेय (bhṛtyāḥ = parṇāḥ)

• mantriṇaḥ: ministers
• mantriṇaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mantrin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• tasya: of it/of him
• tasya: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• śākhāḥ: branches
• śākhāḥ: Samānādhikaraṇa (Predicate nominal)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śākhā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; विधेय (mantriṇaḥ = śākhāḥ)

• tasmāt: therefore
• tasmāt: Hetu (Reason/हेतु)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय-प्रयोगः (therefore)

• mūlam: the root
• mūlam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mūla (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• yatnataḥ: with effort, carefully
• yatnataḥ: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yatna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययम् (तसिल्-प्रत्ययान्त/ablatival adverb); क्रियाविशेषणम्

• rakṣaṇīyam: to be protected
• rakṣaṇīyam: Vidhi (Obligation)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: rakṣ (रक्ष् धातु)
• Form: कृत्य-प्रत्ययान्त (gerundive), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विधेय (mūlam ... rakṣaṇīyam)

• mūle: in the root
• mūle: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mūla (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (अधिकरण), एकवचन

• gupte: being guarded/protected
• gupte: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: gupta (प्रातिपदिक; गुप् धातु से क्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त भूतकृदन्त (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (mūle)

• na: not
• na: Pratiṣedha (Negation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-निपात (negation particle)

• asti: is/exists
• asti: Kriyā (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: as (अस् धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• vṛkṣasya: of the tree
• vṛkṣasya: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vṛkṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• nāśaḥ: destruction
• nāśaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nāśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

Speaker

Vyāsa (deduced: continuation of rāja-dharma counsel to Yudhiṣṭhira)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā-kṣetra milieu

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Yudhiṣṭhira

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A symbolic tableau: a flourishing tree labeled ‘rājā’ with visible roots labeled ‘brāhmaṇāḥ’; leaves as servants and branches as ministers; the teacher points to the roots while the king vows protection.

Characters & Entities

• Brāhmaṇas
• King (rājā)
• Ministers (mantriṇaḥ)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Societal stability depends on protecting the dharmic root—Brāhmaṇas and dharma-guiding institutions.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No single tīrtha is mentioned; the verse is a governance teaching within the Revā Khaṇḍa narrative frame.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A practical dharma injunction: protect and honor Brāhmaṇas as the foundation of righteous rule.