Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 16

Devanagari script

यावन्नाग्निद्विजातीनां प्रत्यक्षं गुरुसंनिधौ । ससंकल्पं स्वयं दत्ता गृह्योक्तविधिना जनैः

Transliteration

yāvannāgnidvijātīnāṃ pratyakṣaṃ gurusaṃnidhau | sasaṃkalpaṃ svayaṃ dattā gṛhyoktavidhinā janaiḥ

Translation

Tant que le feu sacré et les deux-fois-nés (dvija) étaient présents comme témoins, et en la présence même du guru, les gens offrirent eux-mêmes le don avec un saṅkalpa solennel, selon la procédure enseignée par les rites Gṛhya.

Word by Word

• yāvat: until / as long as
• yāvat: Sambandha to clause (Temporal limiter/अवधि)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yāvat (अव्यय/संबन्ध-शब्द)
• Form: अव्यय; परिमाण/अवधि-वाचक (until/as long as)

• na: not
• na: Pratishedha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निषेध (negation particle)

• agni-dvijātīnām: of the fires and the twice-born (brahmins)
• agni-dvijātīnām: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: agni (प्रातिपदिक) + dvijāti (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: द्वन्द्व-समासः (इतरेतर); षष्ठी (6th/सम्बन्ध), बहुवचन; ‘अग्नीनां च द्विजातीनां च’

• pratyakṣam: directly / in person
• pratyakṣam: Adhikarana (Presence/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: pratyakṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभाववत् क्रियाविशेषण-प्रयोगः; नपुंसक एकवचन द्वितीया-रूपेण अव्ययवत् (in the presence, directly)

• guru-saṃnidhau: in the presence of the teacher
• guru-saṃnidhau: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: guru (प्रातिपदिक) + saṃnidhi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः; पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/अधिकरण), एकवचन

• sa-saṃkalpam: with a resolve
• sa-saṃkalpam: Kriya-viseshana (Manner/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sa (उपसर्ग/सह) + saṃkalpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययवत् क्रियाविशेषण; ‘स’ = ‘with’; द्वितीया एकवचन रूपेण (with intention/resolve)

• svayam: herself
• svayam: Karta (Emphatic agent/कर्तृ-विशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: svayam (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; आत्मकर्तृवाचक (by oneself)

• dattā: given (in marriage)
• dattā: Karta (Predicate adjective/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: datta (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; √dā (धातु) + क्त)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त; (कन्या) ‘given (in marriage)’

• gṛhya-ukta-vidhinā: by the rite stated in the Gṛhya (texts)
• gṛhya-ukta-vidhinā: Karana (Means/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gṛhya (प्रातिपदिक) + ukta (कृदन्त; √vac + क्त) + vidhi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: बहुपद-तत्पुरुषः; तृतीया (3rd/करण), एकवचन; ‘गृह्ये उक्तः विधिः’ = ‘the rite prescribed in the Gṛhya (sūtras)’

• janaiḥ: by the people
• janaiḥ: Karana/Karta-saha (By people/with people)
• Type: Noun
• Root: jana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/करण/कर्ता-सह), बहुवचन

Speaker

Narrator (contextual; Māhātmya narration)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A formal ritual scene: sacred fire blazing; brāhmaṇas seated; guru presiding; donors offering gifts with water-libation and spoken resolve.

Characters & Entities

• agni (sacred fire)
• dvijāti (twice-born)
• guru
• Gṛhya-vidhi

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Merit depends not only on giving, but on giving correctly—through saṅkalpa, proper witnesses, and prescribed rite.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse is within a Tīrthamāhātmya chapter, but this line itself focuses on ritual protocol rather than naming a tīrtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Dāna should be done with saṅkalpa, in the presence of guru, with agni and dvijas as witnesses, following Gṛhya-rite procedure.