Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 12

Devanagari script

एवं प्रकुर्वतस्तस्य शाकल्यस्य महात्मनः । पौरोहित्यं गतः कालः कियन्मात्रो द्विजोत्तमाः

Transliteration

evaṃ prakurvatastasya śākalyasya mahātmanaḥ | paurohityaṃ gataḥ kālaḥ kiyanmātro dvijottamāḥ

Translation

Ketika Mahatma Śākalya terus bertindak demikian, wahai para dwija utama, berapa lamakah waktu berlalu baginya dalam jabatan pendeta kerajaan?

Word by Word

• evaṃ: thus
• evaṃ: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: evaṃ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रकारवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (adverb: thus)

• prakurvataḥ: of (him) doing/performing
• prakurvataḥ: Sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठीसम्बन्ध)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra-√kṛ (कृ धातु)
• Form: वर्तमानकाले शतृ-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (present active participle); पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/6th), एकवचन; ‘doing’

• tasya: of him
• tasya: Sambandha (Genitive/षष्ठीसम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/6th), एकवचन

• śākalyasya: of Śākalya
• śākalyasya: Sambandha (Genitive/षष्ठीसम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śākalya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/6th), एकवचन

• mahātmanaḥ: of the great-souled (man)
• mahātmanaḥ: Sambandha (Genitive qualifier/षष्ठीसम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mahātman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/6th), एकवचन; समास: महा + आत्मन् (महान् आत्मा यस्य)

• paurohityaṃ: priesthood, office of a purohita
• paurohityaṃ: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: paurohitya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन

• gataḥ: gone, passed
• gataḥ: Karta (Subject qualifier/कर्तृविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: √gam (गम् धातु) > gata (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle)

• kālaḥ: time, period
• kālaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kāla (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन

• kiyanmātraḥ: of how much extent, how long
• kiyanmātraḥ: Karta (Predicate adjective/कर्तृपूरक)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kiyat + mātra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समास: कियत्-प्रमाणः (how much in measure)

• dvijottamāḥ: O best of twice-born (Brahmins)
• dvijottamāḥ: Sambodhana (Addressed/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dvija + uttama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; समास: द्विजानाम् उत्तमाः (best of Brahmins)

Speaker

Narrator (contextual Purāṇic narrator within Nāgarakhaṇḍa; exact named speaker not in snippet)

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: dvijottamāḥ (best of twice-born)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Sages or learned twice-born listeners ask about the duration of Śākalya’s priesthood as he continues his duties in a royal setting.

Characters & Entities

• Śākalya

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Even within sacred narratives, dharma is tracked through time and conduct—one’s role (like priesthood) is judged by how it is performed over the course of life.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse sits within the Nāgarakhaṇḍa’s Tīrthamāhātmya framework, but this specific line does not name a tīrtha directly.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No direct rite is prescribed here; it introduces the duration of Śākalya’s priestly service.