Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 13

Devanagari script

ब्रह्मणो दक्षिणांगुष्ठाद्दक्षः प्राचेतसोऽभवत् । शतानि पञ्च कन्यानां तस्य जातानि च द्विजाः

Transliteration

brahmaṇo dakṣiṇāṃguṣṭhāddakṣaḥ prācetaso'bhavat | śatāni pañca kanyānāṃ tasya jātāni ca dvijāḥ

Translation

Du pouce droit de Brahmā naquit Dakṣa Prācetasa ; et, ô deux-fois-nés, cinq cents filles lui furent engendrées.

Word by Word

• ब्रह्मणः: of Brahmā
• ब्रह्मणः: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• दक्षिणाङ्गुष्ठात्: from the right thumb
• दक्षिणाङ्गुष्ठात्: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दक्षिण + अङ्गुष्ठ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (5th/Ablative), एकवचन; समासः—कर्मधारय (दक्षिणः अङ्गुष्ठः)

• दक्षः: Dakṣa
• दक्षः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दक्ष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• प्राचेतसः: son/descendant of Pracetas
• प्राचेतसः: Karta (Subject-qualifier/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्राचेतस (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (epithet)

• अभवत्: was born / came to be
• अभवत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: लङ्-लकार (Imperfect/Past), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• शतानि: hundreds
• शतानि: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन

• पञ्च: five
• पञ्च: Visheshana (Quantifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पञ्च (अव्यय/संख्याशब्द)
• Form: अव्ययवत् संख्यावाचक (indeclinable numeral)

• कन्यानाम्: of daughters
• कन्यानाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कन्या (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन

• तस्य: of him (Dakṣa)
• तस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• जातानि: were born
• जातानि: Kriya (Predicative/विधेय)
• Type: Verb
• Root: जात (कृदन्त; √जन्)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; विधेय (predicative)

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Connector/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, समुच्चयबोधक (conjunction)

• द्विजाः: O twice-born (Brahmins)
• द्विजाः: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्विज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; सम्बोधनार्थे अपि प्रयुज्यते (addressing the twice-born)

Speaker

Sūta

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Dvijāḥ / Ṛṣayaḥ

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A cosmic tableau: Brahmā as progenitor, from whose right thumb Dakṣa arises; then a symbolic procession of many daughters (five hundred) as a lineage motif.

Characters & Entities

• Sūta
• Brahmā
• Dakṣa (Prācetasa)
• Dwijas (sages)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purāṇic dharma roots sacred events in cosmic genealogy to show continuity of divine order.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Not directly; the verse supplies genealogical background supporting the tīrtha narrative.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it is genealogical narration.