Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 2

Devanagari script

रेरे मध्यग गत्वा त्वं ब्रूहि तं कुपितामहम् । विप्रवृत्ति प्रहंतारं नीतिमार्गविवर्जितम्

Transliteration

rere madhyaga gatvā tvaṃ brūhi taṃ kupitāmaham | vipravṛtti prahaṃtāraṃ nītimārgavivarjitam

Translation

Va, va, ô Madhyaga : dis-lui que je suis courroucé ; il est le destructeur de la conduite brāhmanique, celui qui a délaissé la voie de la juste nīti, de la droiture et de la maîtrise de soi.

Word by Word

• रे: hey!
• रे: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: re (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (सम्बोधन-निपात/vocative particle)

• रे: hey!
• रे: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: re (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (सम्बोधन-निपात/vocative particle), पुनरुक्ति (emphatic)

• मध्यग: O Madhyaga
• मध्यग: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: madhyaga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचन (सम्बोधन-रूप: मध्यग)

• गत्वा: having gone
• गत्वा: Kriya (पूर्वक्रिया/पूर्वकर्म)
• Type: Verb
• Root: gam (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (gerund/absolutive), धातु: गम्; ‘having gone’

• त्वम्: you
• त्वम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yuṣmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: मध्यमपुरुष-सर्वनाम, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• ब्रूहि: tell; say
• ब्रूहि: Kriya (Main action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: brū (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (Imperative), परस्मैपद, मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन

• तम्: him
• तम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• कुपिताम्: (that) I am angry (lit. angry [me])
• कुपिताम्: Karma (Object-complement/कर्मविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kupita (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषण (माम् इति अध्याहार्य)

• अहम्: I
• अहम्: Karta (Embedded speaker/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तमपुरुष-सर्वनाम, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• विप्रवृत्तिम्: the livelihood/way of life of brāhmaṇas
• विप्रवृत्तिम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vipra + vṛtti (प्रातिपदिके)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; समास: विप्राणां वृत्तिः (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष)

• प्रहन्तारम्: the destroyer
• प्रहन्तारम्: Karma (Apposition/समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pra + han + tṛ (धातु/कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तृ-प्रत्ययान्त (agent noun), पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; धातु: हन्, उपसर्ग: प्र-; अर्थ: ‘one who strikes/destroys’

• नीतिमार्गविवर्जितम्: devoid of the path of right conduct
• नीतिमार्गविवर्जितम्: Karma (Object-qualifier/कर्मविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: nīti-mārga + vivarjita (प्रातिपदिके)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; समास: नीतिमार्गेण विवर्जितः (तृतीया/सप्तमी-तत्पुरुष-प्राय) = ‘devoid of the path of proper conduct’

Speaker

Unspecified (contextual: a leading Nāgara/brāhmaṇa authority addressing Madhyaga)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Śaunaka and Naimiṣāraṇya ṛṣis (implied)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A commanding figure (speaker) orders Madhyaga to go as messenger, declaring anger at an offender who destroys brāhmaṇical conduct and abandons nīti; tension and moral urgency dominate.

Characters & Entities

• Madhyaga
• Brāhmaṇical conduct (vipravṛtti)
• Nīti-mārga

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

In a sacred land, violating vipra-dharma is treated as a grave social and spiritual offense; nīti (right governance) must guide action.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The immediate verse is part of the Gartā-tīrtha narrative arc, though it focuses on a moral accusation rather than site description.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; the verse concerns ethical and civic censure (vipravṛtti and nīti), not a ritual injunction.