Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 9

Devanagari script

कदाचिद्देवपूजायां सोऽपि ब्राह्मणसत्तमाः । विश्वासं नैव निर्याति कस्यचिच्च कथंचन

Transliteration

kadāciddevapūjāyāṃ so'pi brāhmaṇasattamāḥ | viśvāsaṃ naiva niryāti kasyacicca kathaṃcana

Translation

時に神への礼拝の最中でさえ、その男は――ああ最勝の婆羅門たちよ――いかなる形でも誰一人として信じようとしなかった。

Word by Word

• कदाचित्: sometimes
• कदाचित्: Adhikarana/Desha-Kala (Time)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: कदाचित् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक (adverb of time)

• देवपूजायाम्: in (the act of) worship of the gods
• देवपूजायाम्: Adhikarana (Location/occasion)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव + पूजा (प्रातिपदिक); घटक: देव (god) + पूजा (worship)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन; अधिकरण (locative)

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• अपि: also/even
• अपि: Sambandha (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय/अपि-भाव (also/even)

• ब्राह्मणसत्तमः: the best of brāhmaṇas
• ब्राह्मणसत्तमः: Karta (Subject apposition)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्राह्मण + सत्तम (प्रातिपदिक); घटक: ब्राह्मण + सत्तम
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; उपाधि/विशेष्य (appositional title)

• विश्वासम्: trust/confidence
• विश्वासम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विश्वास (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; कर्म

• न: not
• न: Pratishedha (Negation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निषेध

• एव: at all/indeed
• एव: Avadharana (Emphasis)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधारण

• निर्याति: goes out/extends (gives)
• निर्याति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: निर्√या (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• कस्यचित्: of anyone/to anyone
• कस्यचित्: Sambandha (Genitive: towards anyone)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, षष्ठी (6th), एकवचन; अनिश्चित-प्रयोग (indefinite)

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय

• कथंचन: in any manner
• कथंचन: Kriya-visheshana (Manner)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: कथंचन (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रकारवाचक/निषेध-बलवर्धक (in any way)

Speaker

Sūta (contextual continuation)

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: brāhmaṇa addressee (vocative 'brāhmaṇasattama')

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A worship scene: lamps and flowers before the deity, yet the worshipper’s eyes keep darting toward the door and toward his guarded wealth; hands offer flowers while the face shows suspicion.

Characters & Entities

• deva-pūjā
• brāhmaṇas

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Outer worship without inner purity leaves one ruled by fear and suspicion rather than faith and dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Not specified in this verse; the tīrtha-context frames the moral lesson.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Deva-pūjā is mentioned generally, without a specific injunction.