Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 39

Devanagari script

ब्रह्मणस्तु यथा देवाः कीटस्थाने व्यवस्थिताः । तथा ब्रह्मापि विष्णोश्च कीटस्थाने व्यवस्थितः

Transliteration

brahmaṇastu yathā devāḥ kīṭasthāne vyavasthitāḥ | tathā brahmāpi viṣṇośca kīṭasthāne vyavasthitaḥ

Translation

神々がブラフマーに対して虫の位に据えられるように――同じく、ブラフマー自身もヴィシュヌに対してその虫の位に据えられている。

Word by Word

• ब्रह्मणः: of Brahman/Brahmā
• ब्रह्मणः: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• तु: but/indeed
• तु: Sambandha (Discourse particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle: contrast/emphasis)

• यथा: as
• यथा: Sambandha (Comparative marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा (अव्यय)
• Form: उपमान/तुलना-अव्यय

• देवाः: the gods
• देवाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• कीटस्थाने: in the place/state of insects
• कीटस्थाने: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कीट-स्थान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः

• व्यवस्थिताः: situated/established
• व्यवस्थिताः: Karta (Predicative to subject/कर्तृ-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वि-अव-स्था (धातु)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त; past participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; 'well-established/situated'

• तथा: likewise
• तथा: Sambandha (Correlative marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: तुलना-अव्यय (correlative)

• ब्रह्मा: Brahmā
• ब्रह्मा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्मन्/ब्रह्मा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• अपि: also
• अपि: Sambandha (Addition)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (also)

• विष्णोः: of Viṣṇu
• विष्णोः: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विष्णु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, एकवचन

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय

• कीटस्थाने: in the place/state of insects
• कीटस्थाने: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कीट-स्थान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन

• व्यवस्थितः: situated/established
• व्यवस्थितः: Karta (Predicative to subject/कर्तृ-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वि-अव-स्था (धातु)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त; past participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) (deduced from Purāṇic dialogue style in Tīrthamāhātmya sections)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: dvijottama (implied continuing addressee)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A vertical cosmogram: devas clustered below, Brahmā on lotus above them, and beyond Brahmā a vast Viṣṇu presence—each lower tier rendered smaller to show ‘insect-like’ relativity.

Characters & Entities

• Brahmā
• Viṣṇu
• Devāḥ

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

It teaches humility through a cosmic comparison, pointing beyond relative status toward the pursuit of higher realization (jñāna).

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

This verse is within a Tīrthamāhātmya context of the Nāgarakhaṇḍa, but the specific tīrtha name is not stated in this single shloka excerpt.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No direct ritual (snāna, dāna, japa) is prescribed in this verse; it is doctrinal/comparative teaching.