Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 26

Devanagari script

एतेषामेव सर्वेषां सत्काराय द्विजोतमाः । चत्वारिंशत्तथाष्टौ च पुरा प्रोक्ताः स्वयंभुवा

Transliteration

eteṣāmeva sarveṣāṃ satkārāya dvijotamāḥ | catvāriṃśattathāṣṭau ca purā proktāḥ svayaṃbhuvā

Translation

Afin d’honorer tous ces groupes, ô le meilleur des deux-fois-nés, jadis Svayaṃbhū (Brahmā) en fixa et en proclama quarante-huit.

Word by Word

• एतेषाम्: of these
• एतेषाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन (Plural)

• एव: indeed/only
• एव: Avadharana (Emphasis/अवधारण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारण अव्यय (particle of emphasis)

• सर्वेषाम्: of all
• सर्वेषाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन (Plural)

• सत्काराय: for honoring / for respectful reception
• सत्काराय: Sampradana (Recipient/purpose/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सत्कार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (4th/Dative), एकवचन (Singular)

• द्विजोत्तमाः: the best of the twice-born
• द्विजोत्तमाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्विज-उत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन (Plural)

• चत्वारिंशत्: forty
• चत्वारिंशत्: Visheshya (Predicate nominal/विधेय)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चत्वारिंशत् (प्रातिपदिक; संख्या)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (संख्याशब्द), प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

• तथा: and likewise
• तथा: Sambandha (Discourse marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb)

• अष्टौ: eight
• अष्टौ: Visheshya (Predicate nominal/विधेय)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अष्टन् (प्रातिपदिक; संख्या)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन (Plural)

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Connector/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक अव्यय (conjunction)

• पुरा: formerly/earlier
• पुरा: Adverbial (Time/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुरा (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक अव्यय (temporal adverb)

• प्रोक्ताः: were proclaimed
• प्रोक्ताः: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र-वच् (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (Past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; ‘were declared’

• स्वयंभुवा: by Svayambhū (Brahmā)
• स्वयंभुवा: Kartr-karana (Agent in passive/कर्तृ-करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्वयंभू (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन (Singular)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced from Nāgarakhaṇḍa Tīrthamāhātmya narrative style)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A mythic administrative scene: Brahmā (Svayaṃbhū) symbolically ‘appoints’ forty-eight coordinators; below, a tīrtha-town council of priests organizes satkāra for many lineages; ledgers and ritual tokens are shown.

Characters & Entities

• Svayaṃbhū (Brahmā)
• Dvija

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharma is organized and safeguarded through established procedures; honoring the worthy is not optional but traditionally ordained.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Tīrtha is within Nāgarakhaṇḍa’s Tīrthamāhātmya; the verse highlights its divinely instituted system of honoring residents.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Satkāra (formal honoring) of the listed groups, with an ordained arrangement (forty-eight) attributed to Brahmā.