Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 3

Devanagari script

केऽपि चाग्निसमाधानाः केऽपि स्मार्ता निरंतरम् । पुराणन्यायवेत्तारो वेदवेदांगवादिनः

Transliteration

ke'pi cāgnisamādhānāḥ ke'pi smārtā niraṃtaram | purāṇanyāyavettāro vedavedāṃgavādinaḥ

Translation

Les uns s’employaient à établir et à entretenir les feux sacrés ; les autres, sans relâche, maintenaient la tradition Smārta. Ils connaissaient les Purāṇa et l’art du raisonnement (nyāya), et exposaient les Veda ainsi que les Vedāṅga.

Word by Word

• ke: some
• ke: Karta (Subject/partial)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kim (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; अनिश्चितवाचक

• api: also/indeed
• api: Sambandha (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: सम्भावना/समुच्चयार्थक-अव्यय (particle)

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

• agni-samādhānāḥ: engaged in establishing/maintaining the sacred fires
• agni-samādhānāḥ: Karta (Subject/partial)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: agni (प्रातिपदिक) + samādhāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (agnau samādhānam yeṣām)

• ke: some
• ke: Karta (Subject/partial)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kim (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; अनिश्चितवाचक

• api: also/indeed
• api: Sambandha (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: सम्भावना/समुच्चयार्थक-अव्यय (particle)

• smārtāḥ: followers of Smṛti (Smārtas)
• smārtāḥ: Karta (Subject/partial)
• Type: Noun
• Root: smārta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; 'स्मृतिशास्त्रानुगाः'

• niraṃtaram: continuously
• niraṃtaram: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: niraṃtaram (अव्यय)
• Form: काल/प्रकारवाचक-अव्यय (adverb: continuously)

• purāṇa-nyāya-vettāraḥ: knowers of Purāṇa and Nyāya
• purāṇa-nyāya-vettāraḥ: Karta (Subject/partial)
• Type: Noun
• Root: purāṇa (प्रातिपदिक) + nyāya (प्रातिपदिक) + vettṛ (प्रातिपदिक; √vid—ज्ञाने)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष-श्रृङ्खला (purāṇa-nyāyaṃ vetti iti)

• veda-vedāṅga-vādinaḥ: expounders of the Vedas and Vedāṅgas
• veda-vedāṅga-vādinaḥ: Karta (Subject/partial)
• Type: Noun
• Root: veda (प्रातिपदिक) + vedāṅga (प्रातिपदिक) + vādin (प्रातिपदिक; √vad—वदने)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष-श्रृङ्खला (veda-vedāṅgāni vadanti)

Speaker

Brahmā

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Nārada

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A composite scene: one group kindles and tends sacred fires; another teaches Smṛti in a small assembly; scholars debate nyāya with hand gestures; a teacher recites Vedāṅgas to students with palm-leaf manuscripts.

Characters & Entities

• Agni-samādhāna
• Smārta
• Purāṇa
• Nyāya
• Veda
• Vedāṅga

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharma is protected by both practice (fires, rites) and knowledge (Veda, Vedāṅga, Purāṇa, nyāya).

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

None is specified; the verse glorifies orthodox learning and disciplined ritual life.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Agni-samādhāna (establishing/maintaining sacred fires) and ongoing Smārta observance are noted.