Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 83

Devanagari script

चतुर्थी क्षेमला प्रोक्ता गोत्रमाता अनुक्रमात् । अस्मिन्गोत्रे तु ये जाताः पंचयज्ञरताः सदा

Transliteration

caturthī kṣemalā proktā gotramātā anukramāt | asmingotre tu ye jātāḥ paṃcayajñaratāḥ sadā

Translation

ക്രമാനുസരിച്ച് നാലാമത്തെ ഗോത്രമാതാവായി ‘ക്ഷേമലാ’ എന്നു പ്രസിദ്ധം. ഈ ഗോത്രത്തിൽ ജനിച്ചവർ സദാ പഞ്ചയജ്ഞങ്ങളിൽ നിരതരായിരിക്കും.

Word by Word

• चतुर्थी: the fourth (one) / Caturthī
• चतुर्थी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चतुर्थी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; संज्ञापद (नाम)

• क्षेमला: Kṣemalā (name)
• क्षेमला: Samanadhikarana (Predicate nominative/समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्षेमला (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; संज्ञापद

• प्रोक्ता: is declared/said (to be)
• प्रोक्ता: Kriya (Verbal predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र + वच् (धातु) → प्रोक्त (कृदन्त, क्त-प्रत्यय)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्मणि प्रयोगे ‘is said/called’

• गोत्रमाता: mother of the gotra
• गोत्रमाता: Samanadhikarana (Predicate nominative/समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गोत्र + माता (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (गोत्रस्य माता)

• अनुक्रमात्: in due order / sequentially
• अनुक्रमात्: Adhikarana/Hetu (Adverbial/अव्ययार्थ)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अनुक्रम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय-प्रयोगः; तृतीया/पञ्चमी-अर्थे ‘क्रमेण/अनुक्रमेण’ (by sequence)

• अस्मिन्: in this
• अस्मिन्: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (7th/Locative), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• गोत्रे: in the gotra
• गोत्रे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गोत्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

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

• ये: those who
• ये: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; सम्बन्धवाचक सर्वनाम

• जाताः: born
• जाताः: Kriya (Verbal predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: जन् (धातु) → जात (कृदन्त, क्त-प्रत्यय)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (past participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; ‘born’ (predicate with ये)

• पंचयज्ञरताः: devoted to the five sacrifices
• पंचयज्ञरताः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पञ्च + यज्ञ + रत (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; सप्तमी/षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषसदृशः (पञ्चसु यज्ञेषु रताः)

• सदा: always
• सदा: Kala (Temporal adverb/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सदा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (adverb of time)

Speaker

Narrator (contextual Purāṇic voice addressing a king)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A calm genealogical recital: sages enumerating gotra-mothers; a household scene showing pañca-yajña—fire offering, svādhyāya, tarpana at water, feeding guests and creatures.

Characters & Entities

• Kṣemalā
• Pañca-yajña

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

True lineage is shown through dharma—steady commitment to the pañca-yajñas and daily sacred duties.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The broader Dharmāraṇya sacred region is the setting; this verse focuses on gotra lineage rather than a single tirtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Devotion to the pañca-yajñas—daily offerings and duties traditionally including deva-, pitṛ-, bhūta-, manuṣya-, and brahma-yajña.