Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 48

Devanagari script

उपजीवंति यान्यन्ये यथा भृङ्गास्तथा द्विजाः

Transliteration

upajīvaṃti yānyanye yathā bhṛṅgāstathā dvijāḥ

Translation

Sebagaimana lebah hidup dengan mengumpulkan sari dari banyak bunga, demikian pula para dwija hidup dengan bersandar pada beragam ajaran dan upaya (sādhana).

Word by Word

• उपजीवन्ति: they subsist/live by (something)
• उपजीवन्ति: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: उप-जीव् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन (plural)

• यानि: which (things)
• यानि: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (neuter), प्रथमा/द्वितीया (Nom./Acc.), बहुवचन (plural)

• अन्ये: others
• अन्ये: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अन्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (masculine), प्रथमा (Nominative), बहुवचन (plural)

• यथा: as, just like
• यथा: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; उपमानवाचक/तुलनाबोधक (comparative particle: 'as')

• भृङ्गाः: bees
• भृङ्गाः: Upamana (Standard of comparison/उपमान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भृङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (masculine), प्रथमा (Nominative), बहुवचन (plural)

• तथा: so, likewise
• तथा: Sambandha (Correlation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; तदनुरूपवाचक (correlative adverb: 'so/thus')

• द्विजाः: twice-born (Brahmins)
• द्विजाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्विज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (masculine), प्रथमा (Nominative), बहुवचन (plural)

Speaker

Unspecified (didactic voice continuing the bee metaphor)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A calm āśrama setting: a learned brāhmaṇa instructs students; bees hover over many flowers, symbolizing gathering the essence from diverse teachings without harm.

Characters & Entities

• dvija
• bhṛṅga

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The learned should gather what is beneficial from diverse sources—like bees—without greed, harming, or confusion.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No named tīrtha appears in this line.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit ritual is mentioned; it is a social-ethical observation about learned conduct.