Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 1

Devanagari script

सूत उवाच । अथ तेन द्विजाः सर्वे ब्रह्मस्थाने निवेशिताः । चातुश्चरणसंज्ञाश्च ततस्तस्य निवेशिताः

Transliteration

sūta uvāca | atha tena dvijāḥ sarve brahmasthāne niveśitāḥ | cātuścaraṇasaṃjñāśca tatastasya niveśitāḥ

Translation

Sūta dit : Alors, par son ordre, tous les dvijas (les « deux-fois-nés ») furent assis dans le Brahma-sthāna, l’enceinte sacrée ; et ceux désignés pour l’observance appelée cātuścaraṇa furent ensuite installés à leurs places pour lui.

Word by Word

• sūtaḥ: Sūta
• sūtaḥ: Karta (Speaker/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sūta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• atha: then
• atha: Sambandha (Discourse marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atha (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, आरम्भ/अनन्तर (then/now)

• tena: by him/with that
• tena: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• dvijāḥ: brāhmaṇas (twice-born)
• dvijāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dvija (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन

• sarve: all
• sarve: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; विशेषणम् dvijāḥ

• brahmasthāne: in the Brahma-place (sanctum)
• brahmasthāne: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brahma-sthāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; समासः—ब्रह्मणः स्थानम् (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष)

• niveśitāḥ: were seated/placed
• niveśitāḥ: Karta (Predicate/कर्तृ-विशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ni-viś (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle) ‘निवेशित’; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; कर्मणि प्रयोग (having been placed/settled)

• cātuścaraṇasaṃjñāḥ: designated as ‘four-step’ (having four stages)
• cātuścaraṇasaṃjñāḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: cātuḥ-caraṇa-saṃjñā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; विशेषणम् (qualifier) dvijāḥ; समासः—चत्वारः चरणाः (द्विगु/तत्पुरुष-प्रायः) + संज्ञा (तत्पुरुष)

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

• tataḥ: then
• tataḥ: Sambandha (Temporal/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tataḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, तदनन्तर (thereafter)

• tasya: of him/that
• tasya: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• niveśitāḥ: were placed
• niveśitāḥ: Karta (Predicate/कर्तृ-विशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ni-viś (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle) ‘निवेशित’; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; पुनरुक्ति (repetition)

Speaker

Sūta

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra (contextual)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Śaunaka and the Naimiṣāraṇya sages (frame assumed)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A sacred hall with orderly rows of seated brāhmaṇas; a patron/organizer directs placements; ritual implements arranged; the atmosphere is formal and devotional.

Characters & Entities

• Sūta
• Dvijas (Brāhmaṇas)
• Brahmasthāna
• Cātuścaraṇa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred rites are to be conducted in consecrated space with proper seating and order, honoring the twice-born and the ritual structure.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The setting remains Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra’s māhātmya context, with mention of a Brahmasthāna (sacred precinct) within the ritual environment.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Arranging brāhmaṇas in the Brahmasthāna for the cātuścaraṇa observance (linked to puraścaraṇa practice).