Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 64

Devanagari script

अच्छिद्रमिति यद्वाक्यं वदंति क्षितिदेवताः । विशेषान्नागरोद्भूतास्तत्तथैव न चान्यथा

Transliteration

acchidramiti yadvākyaṃ vadaṃti kṣitidevatāḥ | viśeṣānnāgarodbhūtāstattathaiva na cānyathā

Translation

‘അച്ചിദ്രം’ എന്നു ക്ഷിതിദേവതകൾ (ബ്രാഹ്മണർ) പറയുന്നു; എന്നാൽ നാഗരപരമ്പരയിൽ ഉദ്ഭവിച്ചവർ പ്രത്യേകമാണ്—അതുകൊണ്ട് കാര്യം അങ്ങനെ തന്നേ, മറ്റെങ്ങനെല്ല.

Word by Word

• अच्छिद्रम्: flawless
• अच्छिद्रम्: Karma (Quoted content/उद्धृत)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अ (नञ्) + छिद्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; नञ्-तत्पुरुष (छिद्ररहितम्)

• इति: thus
• इति: Sambandha (Quotation marker/उद्धरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; उद्धरण-चिह्न (quotative particle)

• यत्: which
• यत्: Sambandha (Relative/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; सम्बन्ध-प्रत्यय

• वाक्यम्: statement
• वाक्यम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वाक्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• वदन्ति: say
• वदन्ति: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वद् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथम-पुरुष, बहुवचन

• क्षिति-देवताः: the deities of the earth (i.e., brāhmaṇas)
• क्षिति-देवताः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्षिति (प्रातिपदिक) + देवता (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (क्षितेः देवताः)

• विशेषात्: especially / in particular
• विशेषात्: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विशेष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• नागर-उद्भूताः: those arisen from Nāgara (lineage)
• नागर-उद्भूताः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: नागर (प्रातिपदिक) + उद्भूत (प्रातिपदिक/कृदन्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; तत्पुरुष (नगरात् उद्भूताः)

• तत्: that
• तत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• तथा: so, thus
• तथा: Sambandha (Manner/प्रकार)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रियाविशेषण (adverb)

• एव: indeed
• एव: Sambandha (Emphasis/अवधारण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधारण

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निषेध

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Conjunction/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय

• अन्यथा: otherwise
• अन्यथा: Sambandha (Manner/प्रकार)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अन्यथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रियाविशेषण (adverb)

Speaker

Bhartṛyajña (continuing explanation)

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Brāhmaṇa assembly

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The teacher points to the brāhmaṇas as ‘kṣitidevatāḥ’ and then distinguishes the Nāgara-born as a special authoritative group; the assembly nods, accepting a firm rule.

Characters & Entities

• Bhartṛyajña
• Kṣitidevatāḥ
• Nāgara

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharma includes general rules and special applications; tradition and context determine how principles like ‘faultless rite’ operate.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Nāgara setting (Nāgarakhaṇḍa) is foregrounded; the verse stresses the special status of the Nāgara context rather than a named tīrtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

It asserts the applicability of the ‘acchidra’ (faultless) declaration with a special Nāgara-specific nuance.