Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 15

Devanagari script

विघ्नं करिष्ये हि कथं ब्राह्मणानां महात्मनाम् । वेदाध्ययनकर्तॄणां यज्ञे कर्माधितिष्ठताम्

Transliteration

vighnaṃ kariṣye hi kathaṃ brāhmaṇānāṃ mahātmanām | vedādhyayanakartṝṇāṃ yajñe karmādhitiṣṭhatām

Translation

«Comment pourrais-je dresser un obstacle à ces Brāhmaṇas au grand cœur—voués à l’étude des Vedas—qui demeurent fermement établis dans leurs devoirs sacrés au sein du yajña ?»

Word by Word

• vighnam: obstacle
• vighnam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vighna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• kariṣye: I shall do; I will make
• kariṣye: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kṛ (धातु)
• Form: लृट् (Simple Future), परस्मैपद, उत्तमपुरुष (1st), एकवचन

• hi: indeed; for
• hi: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: hi (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (emphatic/causal particle)

• katham: how?
• katham: Sambandha (Interrogative/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: katham (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रश्नार्थक-अव्यय (interrogative adverb)

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

• mahātmanām: of the great-souled
• mahātmanām: Sambandha (Qualifier/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mahātman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन; विशेषणम् (brāhmaṇānām)

• veda-adhyayana-kartṝṇām: of those who perform Vedic study
• veda-adhyayana-kartṝṇām: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: veda (प्रातिपदिक) + adhyayana (प्रातिपदिक) + kartṛ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन; बहुपद-तत्पुरुषः (वेदस्य अध्ययनं ये कुर्वन्ति ते)

• yajñe: in the sacrifice
• yajñe: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yajña (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• karma-adhitiṣṭhatām: of those presiding over the ritual acts
• karma-adhitiṣṭhatām: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Verb
• Root: karma (प्रातिपदिक) + adhi + sthā (धातु)
• Form: कर्माधितिष्ठताम् = ‘कर्म अधितिष्ठताम्’; ‘अधितिष्ठत्’ (वर्तमान-कृदन्त/शतृ) इत्यस्य षष्ठी-बहुवचन (Genitive plural) रूपम्; परस्मैपद-प्रयोगः, विशेषणवत् (brāhmaṇānām)

Speaker

Unspecified in the snippet (contextually a Dharma-aligned interlocutor within Dharmāraṇya-māhātmya narration)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Dharmāraṇya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Inside a forest hermitage: brāhmaṇas seated in rows chanting; a yajña-vedi with steady fire; the asura at a distance, perplexed, unable to find a point of entry for disruption.

Characters & Entities

• Brāhmaṇas
• Veda
• Yajña

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

One should never obstruct Vedic study or yajña; honoring and protecting dhārmic Brāhmaṇas engaged in sacred duty is itself a righteous act.

Which specific holy site (Tīrtha) is glorified here?

The verse sits within the Dharmāraṇya-māhātmya context; this specific śloka emphasizes the sanctity of dharma and Vedic rites rather than naming a particular tīrtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No direct prescription (like snāna, dāna, or japa) is stated here; the focus is on safeguarding yajña-karman and Veda-adhyayana from impediments.