Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 11
Devanagari script
अथाष्टषष्टिविप्राणां तत्र मध्ये नृपोत्तमः । अष्टषष्टिगृहाण्येव चकार सुबृहंति च
Transliteration
athāṣṭaṣaṣṭiviprāṇāṃ tatra madhye nṛpottamaḥ | aṣṭaṣaṣṭigṛhāṇyeva cakāra subṛhaṃti ca
Translation
പിന്നീട് ആ സ്ഥലത്തിന്റെ മദ്ധ്യത്തിൽ രാജോത്തമൻ അറുപത്തിയെട്ട് ബ്രാഹ്മണർക്കായി കൃത്യമായി അറുപത്തിയെട്ട് ഗൃഹങ്ങൾ പണിതു—വളരെ വിശാലമായ വാസസ്ഥലങ്ങൾ.
Word by Word
अथthen
अथ:
Discourse marker (अव्यय)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootअथ (अव्यय)
Formमङ्गल/अनन्तरार्थक-अव्यय (particle: ‘then/now’)
अष्टषष्टिविप्राणाम्of sixty-six brahmins
अष्टषष्टिविप्राणाम्:
Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
TypeNoun
Rootअष्टषष्टि (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक) + विप्र (प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (सम्बन्ध), बहुवचन; tatpuruṣa: ‘अष्टषष्टेः विप्राः’ = ‘of sixty-six brahmins’
तत्रthere
तत्र:
Deśa-adhikaraṇa (देशाधिकरण)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootतत्र (अव्यय)
Formदेशवाचक-अव्यय (adverb of place)
मध्येin the middle
मध्ये:
Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
TypeNoun
Rootमध्य (प्रातिपदिक)
Formनपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (अधिकरण), एकवचन
नृपोत्तमःthe best king
नृपोत्तमः:
Karta (कर्ता)
TypeNoun
Rootनृप (प्रातिपदिक) + उत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (कर्ता), एकवचन; कर्मधारय: ‘उत्तमो नृपः’
अष्टषष्टिगृहाणिsixty-six houses
अष्टषष्टिगृहाणि:
Karma (कर्म)
TypeNoun
Rootअष्टषष्टि (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक) + गृह (प्रातिपदिक)
Formनपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (कर्म), बहुवचन; tatpuruṣa: ‘अष्टषष्टेः गृहाणि’ = ‘sixty-six houses’
एवindeed; just
एव:
Emphasis (निपात)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootएव (अव्यय)
Formनिपात (emphatic particle)
चकारhe made; he built
चकार:
Kriyā (क्रिया)
TypeVerb
Rootकृ (धातु)
Formलिट् (perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद
सुबृहन्तिvery large
सुबृहन्ति:
Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
TypeAdjective
Rootसु (उपसर्ग/अव्यय) + बृहन्त् (प्रातिपदिक)
Formनपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचन; विशेषणं ‘गृहाणि’; कर्मधारय: ‘सु-बृहन्ति’ = ‘very large’
चand
च:
Samuccaya (समुच्चय)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootच (अव्यय)
Formसमुच्चयार्थक-निपात (conjunction)
Speaker
Narrator (Purāṇic narrator)
Characters & Entities
K
king (nṛpottama)S
sixty-eight brāhmaṇas (aṣṭaṣaṣṭi vipra)H
houses (gṛha)FAQs
Providing stable residences to the dharmic community is a high form of charity and a foundation for continuous worship and teaching.
The housing is built within the sacred kṣetra described in Nāgarakhaṇḍa, Tīrthamāhātmya, Adhyāya 113; this verse does not name the tīrtha.
Gṛha-dāna/settlement support is implied as a dharmic act; no formal ritual steps are detailed in this verse.