Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 63

Devanagari script

सर्वेषां ब्राह्मणेंद्राणां प्राकारपरिखान्वितम् । सुखेन येन तिष्ठामः स्नात्वा तीर्थैः पृथग्विधैः । गृहस्थधर्मिणः सर्वे स्वाध्यायनिरता सदा

Transliteration

sarveṣāṃ brāhmaṇeṃdrāṇāṃ prākāraparikhānvitam | sukhena yena tiṣṭhāmaḥ snātvā tīrthaiḥ pṛthagvidhaiḥ | gṛhasthadharmiṇaḥ sarve svādhyāyaniratā sadā

Translation

എല്ലാ ബ്രാഹ്മണേന്ദ്രർക്കുമായി പ്രാകാരവും പരിഖയും ഉള്ള ഒരു പുരം വേണം; വിവിധ തീർത്ഥങ്ങളിൽ സ്നാനം ചെയ്ത് ഞങ്ങൾ സുഖമായി വസിക്കേണ്ടതിന്; ഞങ്ങൾ എല്ലാവരും ഗൃഹസ്ഥധർമ്മത്തിൽ നിലകൊണ്ട് സദാ സ്വാധ്യായത്തിൽ നിരതരായിരിക്കണം.

Word by Word

• सर्वेषाम्: of all
• सर्वेषाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive), बहुवचन; विशेषण ब्राह्मणेन्द्राणाम् इति

• ब्राह्मणेन्द्राणाम्: of the chief brāhmaṇas
• ब्राह्मणेन्द्राणाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्राह्मण (प्रातिपदिक) + इन्द्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• प्राकारपरिखान्वितम्: endowed with walls and moats
• प्राकारपरिखान्वितम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्राकार (प्रातिपदिक) + परिखा (प्रातिपदिक) + अन्वित (अन् + इ धातु?; प्रातिपदिक 'अन्वित' = endowed)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन; विशेषण (नगरम्/पुरोत्तमम् इत्यादि अव्यक्त-विशेष्य)

• सुखेन: with ease, comfortably
• सुखेन: Karana (Manner/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सुख (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental), एकवचन

• येन: by which
• येन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सम्बन्धे (by which/whereby)

• तिष्ठामः: we stay, we dwell
• तिष्ठामः: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्था (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), उत्तम-पुरुष, बहुवचन, परस्मैपद

• स्नात्वा: having bathed
• स्नात्वा: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: स्ना (धातु) + क्त्वा (अव्यय-कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (absolutive/gerund)

• तीर्थैः: with/at sacred fords (tīrthas)
• तीर्थैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• पृथग्विधैः: of various kinds, diverse
• पृथग्विधैः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पृथक् (अव्यय/उपसर्गवत्) + विध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, तृतीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; विशेषण तीर्थैः इति

• गृहस्थधर्मिणः: following the householder’s dharma
• गृहस्थधर्मिणः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: गृहस्थ (प्रातिपदिक) + धर्मिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; विशेषण सर्वे इति

• सर्वे: all (of us/they)
• सर्वे: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• स्वाध्यायनिरताः: devoted to self-study
• स्वाध्यायनिरताः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्वाध्याय (प्रातिपदिक) + निरत (नि + रम् धातु?; प्रातिपदिक 'निरत' = devoted)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; विशेषण सर्वे इति

• सदा: always
• सदा: Kriya-visheshaṇa (Temporal adverb/काल-क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सदा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb of time)

Speaker

Brāhmaṇas

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A planned brāhmaṇa quarter with walls and a moat; at dawn, residents return from different tīrtha baths carrying wet cloths and waterpots, then sit for Vedic recitation in courtyards.

Characters & Entities

• Tīrthas
• Brāhmaṇas (Brāhmaṇendrāḥ)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Holy places flourish when pilgrimage (tīrtha-snānā) is joined with disciplined daily dharma—householder duties and continual svādhyāya.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Multiple tīrthas are implied within the Nāgarakhaṇḍa sacred region; the focus is the network of bathing places (tīrthas) supporting a dharmic community.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Snāna at various tīrthas and sustained svādhyāya are indicated as ongoing religious practices.