Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 63

Devanagari script

सर्वेषां ब्राह्मणेंद्राणां प्राकारपरिखान्वितम् । सुखेन येन तिष्ठामः स्नात्वा तीर्थैः पृथग्विधैः । गृहस्थधर्मिणः सर्वे स्वाध्यायनिरता सदा

Transliteration

sarveṣāṃ brāhmaṇeṃdrāṇāṃ prākāraparikhānvitam | sukhena yena tiṣṭhāmaḥ snātvā tīrthaiḥ pṛthagvidhaiḥ | gṛhasthadharmiṇaḥ sarve svādhyāyaniratā sadā

Translation

«Une demeure-cité pour tous les brāhmaṇas les plus éminents—pourvue de remparts et de fossés—afin que nous puissions demeurer dans l’aisance, après nous être baignés aux divers tīrthas. Tous, nous vivrons selon le dharma du maître de maison et resterons toujours voués au svādhyāya, l’étude védique.»

Word by Word

• सर्वेषाम्: of all
• सर्वेषाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive), बहुवचन; विशेषण ब्राह्मणेन्द्राणाम् इति

• ब्राह्मणेन्द्राणाम्: of the chief brāhmaṇas
• ब्राह्मणेन्द्राणाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्राह्मण (प्रातिपदिक) + इन्द्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• प्राकारपरिखान्वितम्: endowed with walls and moats
• प्राकारपरिखान्वितम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्राकार (प्रातिपदिक) + परिखा (प्रातिपदिक) + अन्वित (अन् + इ धातु?; प्रातिपदिक 'अन्वित' = endowed)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन; विशेषण (नगरम्/पुरोत्तमम् इत्यादि अव्यक्त-विशेष्य)

• सुखेन: with ease, comfortably
• सुखेन: Karana (Manner/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सुख (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental), एकवचन

• येन: by which
• येन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सम्बन्धे (by which/whereby)

• तिष्ठामः: we stay, we dwell
• तिष्ठामः: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्था (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), उत्तम-पुरुष, बहुवचन, परस्मैपद

• स्नात्वा: having bathed
• स्नात्वा: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: स्ना (धातु) + क्त्वा (अव्यय-कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (absolutive/gerund)

• तीर्थैः: with/at sacred fords (tīrthas)
• तीर्थैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• पृथग्विधैः: of various kinds, diverse
• पृथग्विधैः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पृथक् (अव्यय/उपसर्गवत्) + विध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, तृतीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; विशेषण तीर्थैः इति

• गृहस्थधर्मिणः: following the householder’s dharma
• गृहस्थधर्मिणः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: गृहस्थ (प्रातिपदिक) + धर्मिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; विशेषण सर्वे इति

• सर्वे: all (of us/they)
• सर्वे: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• स्वाध्यायनिरताः: devoted to self-study
• स्वाध्यायनिरताः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्वाध्याय (प्रातिपदिक) + निरत (नि + रम् धातु?; प्रातिपदिक 'निरत' = devoted)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; विशेषण सर्वे इति

• सदा: always
• सदा: Kriya-visheshaṇa (Temporal adverb/काल-क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सदा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb of time)

Speaker

Brāhmaṇas

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A planned brāhmaṇa quarter with walls and a moat; at dawn, residents return from different tīrtha baths carrying wet cloths and waterpots, then sit for Vedic recitation in courtyards.

Characters & Entities

• Tīrthas
• Brāhmaṇas (Brāhmaṇendrāḥ)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Holy places flourish when pilgrimage (tīrtha-snānā) is joined with disciplined daily dharma—householder duties and continual svādhyāya.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Multiple tīrthas are implied within the Nāgarakhaṇḍa sacred region; the focus is the network of bathing places (tīrthas) supporting a dharmic community.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Snāna at various tīrthas and sustained svādhyāya are indicated as ongoing religious practices.