Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 12

Devanagari script

ततो वै ब्राह्मणा जाता मरीच्यादिमुनीश्वराः । तेषां कनीयांस्त्वं जातो ज्ञानवेदांतपारगः

Transliteration

tato vai brāhmaṇā jātā marīcyādimunīśvarāḥ | teṣāṃ kanīyāṃstvaṃ jāto jñānavedāṃtapāragaḥ

Translation

Alors, en vérité, naquirent les sages brāhmanes—seigneurs parmi les voyants—à commencer par Marīci. Parmi eux, tu naquis le plus jeune, maître ayant atteint l’autre rive de la connaissance et du Vedānta.

Word by Word

• ततः: then
• ततः: Adverbial (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (तद्-प्रभव अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अनन्तरवाचक (thereafter)

• वै: indeed
• वै: Discourse particle (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वै (निपात)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात (emphatic particle)

• ब्राह्मणाः: Brahmins (brahmin sages)
• ब्राह्मणाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्राह्मण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन

• जाताः: were born
• जाताः: Kriyā (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √जन् (धातु)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (born/produced)

• मरीच्यादिमुनीश्वराः: the sage-lords beginning with Marīci
• मरीच्यादिमुनीश्वराः: Apposition (समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मरीचि-आदि-मुनि-ईश्वर (प्रातिपदिक; मरीचि + आदि + मुनि + ईश्वर)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; ‘मरीच्यादि’ इति तत्पुरुष-समासः, ‘मुनीश्वर’ इति षष्ठी/कर्मधारयभावः (lordly sages)

• तेषाम्: of them
• तेषाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन

• कनीयान्: younger
• कनीयान्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कनीयस् (प्रातिपदिक; comparative)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; तुलनात्मक (comparative)

• त्वम्: you
• त्वम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• जातः: were born / became
• जातः: Kriyā (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √जन् (धातु)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त

• ज्ञानवेदान्तपारगः: one who has mastered knowledge and Vedānta
• ज्ञानवेदान्तपारगः: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ज्ञान-वेदान्त-पारग (प्रातिपदिक; ज्ञान + वेदान्त + पारग)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; बहुपद-तत्पुरुष (one who has gone to the far shore of...)

Speaker

Brahmā (addressing Nārada within the narrative)

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Nārada (explicitly addressed in the surrounding sequence)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A luminous creator-figure narrates the arising of Marīci and the primordial sages; among them a younger sage is singled out as Vedānta-parāga, seated in serene contemplation with palm-leaf manuscripts.

Characters & Entities

• Brahmā
• Marīci
• Muni-s (mind-born sages)
• Nārada
• Vedānta

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Spiritual authority is linked to realized knowledge—Vedānta mastery—alongside sacred lineage and service to dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No particular tīrtha is named in this verse; it situates the tīrtha discourse within a revered r̥ṣi-lineage.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None directly; the verse praises jñāna and Vedānta attainment.