Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 75

Devanagari script

चतुर्णामपि वर्णानां पूज्यो ब्राह्मण उच्यते । तस्य चैवाधिकारोऽस्ति चास्मिन्पाशुपतेश्वरे

Transliteration

caturṇāmapi varṇānāṃ pūjyo brāhmaṇa ucyate | tasya caivādhikāro'sti cāsminpāśupateśvare

Translation

Parmi les quatre varṇa, le brāhmane est déclaré digne d’hommage; et c’est bien lui qui détient le droit légitime (adhikāra) dans ce culte de Pāśupateśvara.

Word by Word

• चतुर्णाम्: of four
• चतुर्णाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: चतुर् (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; (of) four; विशेषणम् ‘वर्णानाम्’ (Genitive, Plural)

• अपि: also
• अपि: Particle
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधान/समुच्चयार्थक (indeclinable; also/even)

• वर्णानाम्: of the social classes (varṇas)
• वर्णानाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वर्ण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, बहुवचन (Masculine, Genitive, Plural)

• पूज्यः: worthy of worship
• पूज्यः: Visheshya-predicate
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पूज्य (प्रातिपदिक; पूज् धातोः यत्/ण्यत्-प्रत्ययान्त)
• Form: कृदन्त-विशेषण; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Masculine, Nominative, Singular)

• ब्राह्मणः: a Brahmin
• ब्राह्मणः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्राह्मण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Masculine, Nominative, Singular)

• उच्यते: is said/called
• उच्यते: Kriya (Predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार, कर्मणि प्रयोग (passive), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन (Present, 3rd person, Singular)

• तस्य: of him/that (of that Brahmin)
• तस्य: Sambandha (Possessor)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम; पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Genitive, Singular)

• च: and
• च: Conjunction
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयार्थक (indeclinable; and)

• एव: indeed
• एव: Particle
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधारणार्थक (indeclinable; indeed/only)

• अधिकारः: authority/eligibility
• अधिकारः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अधिकार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Masculine, Nominative, Singular)

• अस्ति: is/exists
• अस्ति: Kriya (Predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन (Present, 3rd person, Singular)

• च: and
• च: Conjunction
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयार्थक (indeclinable; and)

• अस्मिन्: in this
• अस्मिन्: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम; पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Locative, Singular)

• पाशुपत-ईश्वरे: in the Lord of the Pāśupata (doctrine)
• पाशुपत-ईश्वरे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाशुपत (प्रातिपदिक) + ईश्वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः; पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Masculine, Locative, Singular)

Speaker

Śiva (inferred)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Pāśupateśvara (Prabhāsa)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: At Prabhāsa, before a Śiva-liṅga titled Pāśupateśvara, a brāhmaṇa officiant is honored by devotees of all varṇas, receiving pādya/arghya and leading the worship.

Characters & Entities

• Pāśupateśvara
• Brāhmaṇa
• Four varṇas

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Temple-dharma is linked with social duty: honoring qualified ritual leadership is presented as part of sustaining sacred worship.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Pāśupateśvara at Prabhāsa-kṣetra.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

It implies ritual eligibility/authority (adhikāra) for brāhmaṇas in the formal worship of Pāśupateśvara.