Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 22

Devanagari script

आदित्यानां वसूनां च रुद्राणां मरुतामपि । यज्ञभागकृते विप्राः शुक्रशासनमाश्रिताः

Transliteration

ādityānāṃ vasūnāṃ ca rudrāṇāṃ marutāmapi | yajñabhāgakṛte viprāḥ śukraśāsanamāśritāḥ

Translation

アーディティヤ、ヴァス、ルドラ、そしてマルトらに捧げるべき祭祀の分け前を定めるため、バラモンたちはシュクラの法令と統治に従って行動した。

Word by Word

• आदित्यानाम्: of the Ādityas
• आदित्यानाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आदित्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• वसूनाम्: of the Vasus
• वसूनाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वसु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-बोधक अव्यय (conjunction)

• रुद्राणाम्: of the Rudras
• रुद्राणाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रुद्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• मरुताम्: of the Maruts
• मरुताम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मरुत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• अपि: also
• अपि: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle), समुच्चय/अपि-अर्थ (also/even)

• यज्ञभागकृते: for the sake of the sacrificial share
• यज्ञभागकृते: Sampradana (Purpose/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यज्ञ + भाग + कृ (प्रातिपदिक); कृते (कृदन्त, क्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग (प्रयोगे), चतुर्थी-विभक्ति (Dative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (यज्ञस्य भागः) + कृते (for the sake of)

• विप्राः: the Brahmins
• विप्राः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विप्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• शुक्रशासनम्: Śukra's command/authority
• शुक्रशासनम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शुक्र + शासन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (शुक्रस्य शासनम्)

• आश्रिताः: having taken refuge in / having resorted to
• आश्रिताः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ-√श्रि (धातु) → आश्रित (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक, क्त-प्रत्यय)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त भूतकर्मणि/भूतकृत् (past participle) — ‘having resorted to’

Speaker

Narrator (implied Purāṇic narration; explicit speaker not stated in this verse)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Brāhmaṇas in a celestial sacrificial hall allocate yajña portions to deva-groups, but under Śukra’s command; offerings arranged, fire altar blazing, deva emblems present yet authority shifted.

Characters & Entities

• Ādityas
• Vasus
• Rudras
• Maruts
• Vipras (Brāhmaṇas)
• Śukra (Śukrācārya)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Ritual distribution (yajña-bhāga) reflects cosmic hierarchy; when authority shifts, the sacrificial order itself becomes contested.

Which specific holy site (Tīrtha) is glorified here?

The verse belongs to the Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra Māhātmya sequence within Nāgara Khaṇḍa, though it discusses yajña administration rather than a local tīrtha act.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

It references yajña-bhāga—allocation of offerings/shares to divine groups—under Śukra’s directive.