Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 28

Devanagari script

यज्ञोपवीतसंयुक्ताः प्रवराश्चैव कृत्स्नशः । तथा मौंजीविशेषाश्च शिखाभेदाः प्रकीर्तिताः

Transliteration

yajñopavītasaṃyuktāḥ pravarāścaiva kṛtsnaśaḥ | tathā mauṃjīviśeṣāśca śikhābhedāḥ prakīrtitāḥ

Translation

Ils furent dûment investis du yajnopavīta (cordon sacré) ; leurs pravaras (lignées des ṛṣi) furent proclamés en entier ; et l’on énonça aussi les types particuliers de ceintures de muñja ainsi que les distinctions de śikhā (touffe/tonsure).

Word by Word

• yajñopavītasaṃyuktāḥ: endowed with the sacred thread
• yajñopavītasaṃyuktāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: yajñopavīta-saṃyukta (प्रातिपदिक); yajñopavīta + saṃyukta
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, बहुवचनम्; विशेषणम् (connected with sacred thread)

• pravarāḥ: the pravaras (lineage invocations)
• pravarāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pravara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, बहुवचनम्

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्ययम् (conjunction)

• eva: indeed
• eva: Sambandha (Emphasis/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारण-अव्ययम् (emphatic particle)

• kṛtsnaśaḥ: completely, in full
• kṛtsnaśaḥ: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: kṛtsnaśas (अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययम्; प्रकार/परिमाणवाचक (adverb: wholly, entirely)

• tathā: likewise
• tathā: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tathā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्ययम्; समुच्चयार्थे/प्रकारे (likewise)

• mauṃjīviśeṣāḥ: the specific types of muñja-girdle
• mauṃjīviśeṣāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mauñjī-viśeṣa (प्रातिपदिक); mauñjī + viśeṣa
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, बहुवचनम्

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्ययम् (conjunction)

• śikhābhedāḥ: differences/variants of the hair-tuft
• śikhābhedāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śikhā-bheda (प्रातिपदिक); śikhā + bheda
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, बहुवचनम्

• prakīrtitāḥ: were proclaimed/described
• prakīrtitāḥ: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra-√kīrt (कीर्त्/कीर्तय् धातु) + kta (कृत् प्रत्यय)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्तः (past passive participle/क्त), पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, बहुवचनम्

Speaker

Narrative voice (contextual; likely Sūta continuing the account)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Ṛṣis (assembly)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A formal assembly where dvijas are invested with yajñopavīta; a teacher recites pravaras; different muñja girdles and śikhā styles are shown as distinct, orderly categories.

Characters & Entities

• Yajñopavīta
• Pravara
• Muñja (mekhalā)
• Śikhā

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharma is upheld through proper saṃskāras and ritual identity—symbolized by the sacred thread, pravara, and disciplined observances.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse is within the Nāgarakhaṇḍa’s Tīrthamāhātmya context; this line itself emphasizes ritual qualifications rather than naming the site explicitly.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Markers of dvija-ritual status are referenced: yajñopavīta (sacred thread), pravara recitation, muñja-girdle type, and śikhā distinctions.