Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 74

Devanagari script

अद्यप्रभृति वै विप्राः साग्नयः स्युर्धरातले । तैः सर्वैर्वैश्वदेवांते बलिर्देयस्तथाखिलः

Transliteration

adyaprabhṛti vai viprāḥ sāgnayaḥ syurdharātale | taiḥ sarvairvaiśvadevāṃte balirdeyastathākhilaḥ

Translation

“ഇന്നുമുതൽ, ഹേ വിപ്രന്മാരേ, നിങ്ങൾ ഭൂമിയിൽ അഗ്നികളെ നിലനിർത്തുന്ന ഗൃഹസ്ഥരായി വസിക്കുവിൻ; കൂടാതെ വൈശ്വദേവത്തിന്റെ അവസാനം സമ്പൂർണ്ണ ബലി നിർബന്ധമായി അർപ്പിക്കണം।”

Word by Word

• अद्य: today, now
• अद्य: Adhikarana (Context/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: adya (अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (temporal adverb)

• प्रभृति: from (this time) onward
• प्रभृति: Adhikarana (Context/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: prabhṛti (अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय; आरम्भवाचक (from ... onwards)

• वै: indeed
• वै: None
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vai (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात (particle/emphasis)

• विप्राः: brāhmaṇas
• विप्राः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vipra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन

• साग्नयः: with sacred fires
• साग्नयः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sa + agni (प्रातिपदिक; साग्नि)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; उपपद-तत्पुरुष (अग्निसहिताः) विप्राः इति विशेषण

• स्युः: should be
• स्युः: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन; परस्मैपद

• धरातले: on the earth’s surface
• धरातले: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dharā-tala (प्रातिपदिक; धरातल)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (धरायाः तलम्)

• तैः: by them
• तैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन

• सर्वैः: by all (of them)
• सर्वैः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन; तैः इति विशेषण

• वैश्वदेव-अन्ते: at the end of the Vaiśvadeva rite
• वैश्वदेव-अन्ते: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vaiśvadeva + anta (प्रातिपदिक; वैश्वदेवान्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (वैश्वदेवस्य अन्ते)

• बलिः: food-offering (bali)
• बलिः: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bali (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• देयः: to be given
• देयः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: deya (प्रातिपदिक; √दा-णिच्/यत्)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; विधेय/कर्तव्य (gerundive: ‘to be given’), बलिः इति विशेषण

• तथा: thus, likewise
• तथा: None
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tathā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रियाविशेषण (adverb: ‘thus/likewise’)

• अखिलः: entire, complete
• अखिलः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: akhila (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; बलिः इति विशेषण

Speaker

Brahmā (deduced from immediate narrative context leading into Brahmovāca)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Brāhmaṇas (within the story); Naimiṣāraṇya sages (frame)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Brahmā (or the authoritative speaker) instructs brāhmaṇas to live as householders with sacred fires; a domestic altar with flames; offerings arranged; bali placed at the end of Vaiśvadeva.

Characters & Entities

• Brahmā
• Vipra (brāhmaṇa)
• Vaiśvadeva
• Bali (offering)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred geography is upheld through daily dharma: maintaining the fires and completing rites with bali cultivates harmony with gods and beings.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The wider passage belongs to the Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra Māhātmya within Nāgara Khaṇḍa, connected to the Yakṣma-tīrtha origin narrative.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

After performing the Vaiśvadeva rite, one should offer bali (the prescribed portion/offering) as part of daily household ritual duty.