Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 25

Devanagari script

येन मार्गेण ता गावो नीयन्ते तस्करैर्बलात् । तिरस्कृत्य द्विजान्सर्वाञ्छितशस्त्रधरैर्द्विजाः

Transliteration

yena mārgeṇa tā gāvo nīyante taskarairbalāt | tiraskṛtya dvijānsarvāñchitaśastradharairdvijāḥ

Translation

കള്ളർ ബലമായി ആ പശുക്കളെ ഓടിച്ചുകൊണ്ടുപോയ വഴിയിലൂടെ—മൂർച്ചയുള്ള ആയുധധാരികൾ എല്ലാ ദ്വിജന്മാരെയും അപമാനിച്ച് തള്ളിനീക്കിയ ശേഷം—അവൻ അതേ വഴിയേ മുന്നേറി.

Word by Word

• yena: by which (along which)
• yena: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक

• mārgeṇa: by the path/route
• mārgeṇa: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mārga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन; मार्गेण=by the path/along the route

• tāḥ: those
• tāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन

• gāvaḥ: cows
• gāvaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: go (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन

• nīyante: are being led
• nīyante: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: nī (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन; कर्मणि-प्रयोग (passive): ‘are being led’

• taskaraiḥ: by thieves
• taskaraiḥ: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: taskara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन

• balāt: by force
• balāt: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: bala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पञ्चमी-एकवचनरूपेण क्रियाविशेषण (ablative used adverbially); बलात्=by force

• tiraskṛtya: having insulted/overridden
• tiraskṛtya: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tiras-√kṛ (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund); धातु: तिरस्+√कृ; अर्थ: having insulted/overpowered

• dvijān: brahmins (twice-born)
• dvijān: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dvija (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), बहुवचन

• sarvān: all
• sarvān: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), बहुवचन; विशेषण

• chita-śastra-dharaiḥ: by weapon-bearing (men) with raised weapons
• chita-śastra-dharaiḥ: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: chita (प्रातिपदिक) + śastra (प्रातिपदिक) + dhara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन; बहुपद-तत्पुरुषः (चितं/उद्धृतं शस्त्रं येषां ते)

• dvijāḥ: the brahmins
• dvijāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dvija (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन

Speaker

Narrator

Characters & Entities

• Cows
• Thieves
• Brāhmaṇas

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Violence and contempt toward brāhmaṇas and cattle is portrayed as adharma that calls for righteous intervention.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No tīrtha is named; the verse intensifies the moral conflict preceding the pilgrimage’s sacred outcomes.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it describes wrongdoing (forceful theft and insult) rather than prescribing a rite.