Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 5

Devanagari script

एतस्मिन्नंतरे चक्रे केशनिर्वपणं विधेः । विश्वकर्मा नखानां च गायत्र्यास्तदनंतरम्

Transliteration

etasminnaṃtare cakre keśanirvapaṇaṃ vidheḥ | viśvakarmā nakhānāṃ ca gāyatryāstadanaṃtaram

Translation

ಅಷ್ಟರಲ್ಲಿ ವಿಶ್ವಕರ್ಮನು ವಿಧಾತ (ಬ್ರಹ್ಮ)ನ ಕೇಶನಿರ್ವಪಣ ಸಂಸ್ಕಾರವನ್ನು ನೆರವೇರಿಸಿ, ತಕ್ಷಣವೇ ಗಾಯತ್ರಿಯ ನಖಗಳನ್ನು ಕಡಿದನು।

Word by Word

• एतस्मिन्: in this
• एतस्मिन्: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (7th/Locative), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• अन्तरे: in the interval
• अन्तरे: Adhikarana (Time circumstance/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अन्तर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• चक्रे: did / performed
• चक्रे: Kriya (Main verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

• केशनिर्वपणम्: the shaving/cutting of hair
• केशनिर्वपणम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: केश + निर्वपण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (keśānāṃ nirvapaṇam = shaving/cutting of hair)

• विधेः: of Vidhātr (Brahmā)
• विधेः: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विधि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• विश्वकर्मा: Viśvakarmā
• विश्वकर्मा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विश्व + कर्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (viśvasya karmā = the all-doer)

• नखानाम्: of the nails
• नखानाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नख (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Connector/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयार्थक (conjunction)

• गायत्र्याः: of Gāyatrī
• गायत्र्याः: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गायत्री (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• तत्: then / thereupon
• तत्: Kriya-visheshaṇa (Adverbial pronoun/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (1st/2nd), एकवचन; सर्वनाम; अत्र क्रियाविशेषणवत् (thereupon)

• अनन्तरम्: immediately after
• अनन्तरम्: Kala-adhikarana (Temporal adverbial/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अनन्तर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव/क्रियाविशेषणवत् नपुंसक-एकवचन; कालवाचक (immediately after)

Speaker

Sūta (continuing narration)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Within the yajña pavilion’s antechamber, Viśvakarmā performs Brahmā’s ritual shaving; attendants then trim Gāyatrī’s nails—an orderly, reverent preparation before the sacrifice.

Characters & Entities

• Viśvakarmā
• Brahmā (Vidhātā/Vidhi)
• Gāyatrī

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

External purity and orderly preparation are presented as supports to inner sanctity in major rites.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

It continues within the Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra māhātmya narrative setting of the Nāgara Khaṇḍa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Keśa-nirvapaṇa (ritual grooming/shaving) and nail-trimming as preparatory purity measures before yajña.