Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 18

Devanagari script

व्रह्मोवाच । भविष्यति ध्रुवा विप्र सृष्टिर्या भवता कृता । परं सर्वेषु कृत्येषु यज्ञार्हा न भविष्यति

Transliteration

vrahmovāca | bhaviṣyati dhruvā vipra sṛṣṭiryā bhavatā kṛtā | paraṃ sarveṣu kṛtyeṣu yajñārhā na bhaviṣyati

Translation

Brahmā dit : Ô brāhmane, la création que tu as accomplie sera assurément durable ; toutefois, parmi tous les devoirs sacrés, elle ne sera pas digne de recevoir les offrandes du sacrifice (yajña).

Word by Word

• ब्रह्मा: Brahmā
• ब्रह्मा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brahman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• भविष्यति: will be
• भविष्यति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: लृट्-लकार (Simple Future), प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• ध्रुवा: firm/lasting
• ध्रुवा: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dhruva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (सृष्टिः)

• विप्र: O brāhmaṇa/sage
• विप्र: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vipra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• सृष्टिः: creation
• सृष्टिः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sṛṣṭi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• या: which
• या: Sambandha (Relative/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सम्बन्ध-सर्वनाम

• भवता: by you (sir)
• भवता: Karta (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhavat (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; आदरार्थ-प्रयोग

• कृता: made
• कृता: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु) + क्त (कृत्-प्रत्यय)
• Form: कृदन्त (क्त-प्रत्ययान्त PPP), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सृष्टिः इति विशेष्यसमानाधिकरण

• परम्: however/but
• परम्: Discourse (वाक्योपक्रम/विरोध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: parama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (adverbial accusative: 'however/but')

• सर्वेषु: in all
• सर्वेषु: Adhikarana (Domain/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; विशेषण (कृत्येषु)

• कृत्येषु: in rites/acts
• कृत्येषु: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kṛtya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• यज्ञार्हा: fit for sacrifice
• यज्ञार्हा: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: yajña + arhā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (यज्ञस्य अर्हा)

• न: not
• न: Negation (निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-निपात

• भविष्यति: will be
• भविष्यति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: लृट्-लकार (Simple Future), प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

Speaker

Brahmā

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Viśvāmitra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Brahmā affirms the permanence of Viśvāmitra’s creation but adds a grave caveat: it will not be worthy to receive sacrificial offerings—introducing a dharmic boundary to the marvel.

Characters & Entities

• Brahmā
• Viśvāmitra

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Endurance alone is not dharmic legitimacy; ritual participation (yajña-arhatā) depends on alignment with the ordained cosmic and Vedic order.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No tīrtha is explicitly named in this verse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

It states a ritual rule: that creation will not be eligible to receive sacrificial offerings (not yajñārha).