Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 48

Devanagari script

ऋगथर्वणजा शाखा नष्टा सा च महामते । एवं वै वर्तमानास्ते वाडवा धर्मसंभवाः

Transliteration

ṛgatharvaṇajā śākhā naṣṭā sā ca mahāmate | evaṃ vai vartamānāste vāḍavā dharmasaṃbhavāḥ

Translation

Wahai yang berhati luhur, cabang yang lahir dari Ṛg dan Atharvan telah lenyap. Demikianlah para Vāḍava—yang terlahir dari dharma—tetap ada dalam keadaan ini.

Word by Word

• ṛgatharvaṇajā: born from the Ṛg and Atharva(ṇa) (traditions)
• ṛgatharvaṇajā: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ṛk (प्रातिपदिक) + atharvaṇa (प्रातिपदिक) + ja (कृदन्त/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; विशेषणम्—‘शाखा’ इति पदस्य; समासः—षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (ṛg-atharvaṇa-योः जातः)

• śākhā: branch (school/lineage)
• śākhā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śākhā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• naṣṭā: lost, destroyed
• naṣṭā: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: naś (धातु) → naṣṭa (कृदन्त, भूतकृत्/क्त)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त भूतकर्मणि/भूतभावे; ‘शाखा’ इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

• sā: that (she/it)
• sā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• mahāmate: O great-minded one
• mahāmate: Sambodhana (Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahā-mati (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th/Vocative), एकवचन; समासः—कर्मधारयः (महती मतिः यस्य)

• evaṃ: thus
• evaṃ: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: evaṃ (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रकारवाचक-अव्यय (adverb of manner)

• vai: indeed
• vai: Nipāta (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vai (अव्यय)
• Form: निश्चय/प्रमाणबोधक-अव्यय (emphatic particle)

• vartamānāḥ: existing, present
• vartamānāḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vṛt (धातु) → vartamāna (कृदन्त, शतृ/वर्तमानकृदन्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; वर्तमानकाले स्थितिवाचक; ‘ते’ इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

• te: they
• te: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; सर्वनाम

• vāḍavāḥ: the Vāḍavas (a group/people)
• vāḍavāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vāḍava (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन

• dharmasaṃbhavāḥ: born from dharma, arising from righteousness
• dharmasaṃbhavāḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dharma (प्रातिपदिक) + saṃbhava (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; विशेषणम्—‘vāḍavāḥ’; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (धर्मात् सम्भवः/धर्मसम्भवः)

Speaker

Vyāsa (contextual)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Dharmāraṇya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A forested sacred tract (Dharmāraṇya) with elders recounting vanished Vedic branches; a small group of Vāḍavas stands as a living remnant, holding palm-leaf manuscripts and ritual implements, suggesting continuity amid loss.

Characters & Entities

• Ṛgveda
• Atharvaveda
• śākhā
• Vāḍava

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

It laments the loss of sacred learning while affirming that dharma-born communities endure and must safeguard what remains.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Dharmāraṇya is the sanctified frame for these teachings; the verse itself is about Vedic transmission.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No direct prescription; it provides context on śākhā continuity relevant to Vedic recitation and ritual practice.