Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 21

Devanagari script

ऋत्विजोऽमी समानीता गुरुणा यज्ञसिद्धये । अजानता द्विजश्रेष्ठा आधिक्यं नागरात्मकम्

Transliteration

ṛtvijo'mī samānītā guruṇā yajñasiddhaye | ajānatā dvijaśreṣṭhā ādhikyaṃ nāgarātmakam

Translation

«Ces prêtres officiants ont été amenés par mon précepteur pour mener le yajña à son accomplissement ; mais, ô meilleurs des brāhmaṇas, ils ignoraient la prérogative supérieure qui revient aux Nāgara.»

Word by Word

• ऋत्विजः: priests (ṛtviks)
• ऋत्विजः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ṛtvij (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• अमी: these
• अमी: Karta (Appositive/कर्ता-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: idam (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• समानीताः: were brought/assembled
• समानीताः: Kriya (Predicate in passive/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sam-ā-√nī (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त (क्त/PPP), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; उपसर्ग: सम्+आ; (brought/assembled)

• गुरुणा: by the teacher
• गुरुणा: Karta (Agent in passive/कर्तृ)
• Type: Noun
• Root: guru (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन

• यज्ञ-सिद्धये: for the accomplishment of the sacrifice
• यज्ञ-सिद्धये: Sampradana/Prayojana (Purpose/सम्प्रदान/प्रयोजन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yajña (प्रातिपदिक) + siddhi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समास: तत्पुरुष (यज्ञस्य सिद्धिः); स्त्रीलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (dative), एकवचन

• अजानता: by not knowing
• अजानता: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Verb
• Root: a-√jñā (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त (शतृ/वर्तमान कृदन्त), तृतीया, एकवचन; नपुंसक/पुं-प्रयोगे ‘by (one) not knowing’; नकारार्थक उपसर्ग: अ-

• द्विजश्रेष्ठाः: O best of the twice-born
• द्विजश्रेष्ठाः: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dvija (प्रातिपदिक) + śreṣṭha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समास: तत्पुरुष (द्विजानां श्रेष्ठाः); पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, बहुवचन

• आधिक्यम्: superiority/excess
• आधिक्यम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ādhikya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• नागरात्मकम्: of the nature of Nāgara (pertaining to Nāgara)
• नागरात्मकम्: Karma qualifier (Object qualifier/कर्मविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: nāgara (प्रातिपदिक) + ātmaka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समास: तत्पुरुष (नागर-स्वभावम्/नागर-आत्मकं); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (आधिक्यम्)

Speaker

Brahmā (continuation)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: dvijaśreṣṭhāḥ (local brāhmaṇas)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A patron gestures toward a group of ritviks standing aside, explaining they were brought by his guru for yajña-siddhi, but he did not know the Nāgara community’s superior right; brāhmaṇas look discerning yet composed.

Characters & Entities

• Brahmā
• Guru (preceptor)
• Ṛtviks
• Nāgara brāhmaṇas

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Good intentions are not enough; dharma requires right knowledge of place-specific ritual authority and proper officiants.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The statement is situated in the Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra narrative frame within the Nāgarakhaṇḍa Tīrthamāhātmya.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

It implies that yajña should be conducted recognizing Nāgara brāhmaṇas’ priority in that kṣetra, rather than importing ṛtviks without that awareness.