Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 16

Devanagari script

तदर्थं शरदश्चांते शुभर्त्तौ ब्राह्मणोत्तमाः । चातुश्चरणसंपन्नाः संस्थाप्याः षोडशैव तु

Transliteration

tadarthaṃ śaradaścāṃte śubharttau brāhmaṇottamāḥ | cātuścaraṇasaṃpannāḥ saṃsthāpyāḥ ṣoḍaśaiva tu

Translation

അതുകൊണ്ട് ശരദൃതുവിന്റെ അവസാനം ശുഭ മുഹൂർത്തത്തിൽ, ചതുഷ്ചരണസമ്പന്നരായ (വേദാധ്യയനവും സദാചാരവും) പതിനാറു ഉത്തമ ബ്രാഹ്മണരെ ഈ കർമ്മത്തിനായി വിധിപൂർവ്വം സ്ഥാപിച്ച് ഇരുത്തണം।

Word by Word

• तदर्थम्: for that purpose
• तदर्थम्: Purpose adjunct (प्रयोजन)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तदर्थ (प्रातिपदिक: तत् + अर्थ)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव-प्रयोग (accusative used adverbially) ‘तस्य अर्थम्’ इति षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः; अर्थे ‘for that purpose’

• शरदः: of autumn
• शरदः: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शरद् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), एकवचन; ‘शरदः अन्ते’ = at the end of autumn

• च: and
• च: Connector (समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक अव्यय (conjunction)

• अन्ते: at the end
• अन्ते: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अन्त (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन; कालाधिकरणे

• शुभर्त्तौ: in the auspicious season
• शुभर्त्तौ: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शुभर्तु (प्रातिपदिक: शुभ + ऋतु)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन; ‘शुभः ऋतुः’ इति कर्मधारयः; कालाधिकरणे

• ब्राह्मणोत्तमाः: excellent Brahmins
• ब्राह्मणोत्तमाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्राह्मणोत्तम (प्रातिपदिक: ब्राह्मण + उत्तम)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), बहुवचन; ‘उत्तमाः ब्राह्मणाः’ इति कर्मधारयः

• चातुश्चरणसंपन्नाः: endowed with four qualifications/quarters
• चातुश्चरणसंपन्नाः: Karta (Subject qualifier/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: चातुः-चरण-संपन्न (प्रातिपदिक: चातुः + चरण + संपन्न)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; ‘चातुःचरणैः संपन्नाः’ (having four ‘caraṇa’/quarters—i.e., fully qualified)

• संस्थाप्याः: should be स्थापित/installed
• संस्थाप्याः: Predicate (Vidhi/विधेय)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सम्+स्था (धातु) → संस्थाप्य (कृदन्त)
• Form: तव्यत्-प्रत्ययान्त (gerundive), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; विधेय-विशेषणम्—‘to be installed/appointed’

• षोडश: sixteen
• षोडश: Karta (Subject qualifier/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: षोडश (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: संख्यावाचक, पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन (ब्राह्मणोत्तमाः इत्यस्य विशेषणम्)

• एव: indeed/only
• एव: Emphasis (अवधारण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारणार्थक अव्यय (emphatic particle)

• तु: but/indeed
• तु: Discourse particle (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: विरोध/अन्वयबोधक निपात (contrastive particle)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced from Nāgarakhaṇḍa Tīrthamāhātmya instructional style; common Skanda→listener framing)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Garttā-tīrtha (contextual)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Sixteen brāhmaṇas are ceremonially appointed and seated in an orderly arrangement at a tīrtha pavilion during late autumn; ritual vessels, darbha, and manuscripts indicate Vedic completeness.

Characters & Entities

• Brāhmaṇa
• Śarad (autumn)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred rites at a tīrtha should be performed with proper timing and with qualified, disciplined Brāhmaṇas so that the act becomes dharma-filled and merit-bearing.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The surrounding verses indicate Garttā-tīrtha (Garttātīrtha) as the focal sacred site in this adhyāya.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Install/seat sixteen well-qualified Brāhmaṇas at an auspicious time at the end of autumn for the intended tīrtha-rite.