Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 4

Devanagari script

तस्माद्यदि न मां यूयं याजयिष्यथ सांप्रतम् । परित्यज्य करिष्यामि शीघ्रमन्यं पुरोहितम्

Transliteration

tasmādyadi na māṃ yūyaṃ yājayiṣyatha sāṃpratam | parityajya kariṣyāmi śīghramanyaṃ purohitam

Translation

“അതുകൊണ്ട് നിങ്ങൾ ഇപ്പോൾ തന്നെ എന്റെ യാഗം നടത്തിക്കൊടുക്കുന്നില്ലെങ്കിൽ, നിങ്ങളെ ഉപേക്ഷിച്ച് ഞാൻ വേഗം മറ്റൊരു പുരോഹിതനെ നിയമിക്കും।”

Word by Word

• तस्मात्: therefore
• तस्मात्: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तस्मात् इति अव्ययीभाववत् निपातप्रयोग; हेत्वर्थक (therefore/from that)

• यदि: if
• यदि: Condition (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यदि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; शर्तवाचक (conditional particle: if)

• न: not
• न: Negation (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निषेध (negation)

• माम्: me
• माम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• यूयम्: you (pl.)
• यूयम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; सर्वनाम

• याजयिष्यथ: you will cause (me) to perform sacrifice / officiate
• याजयिष्यथ: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: यज् (धातु) [णिच् causative: याजय-]
• Form: लृट्-लकार (Simple Future), मध्यम-पुरुष (2nd person), बहुवचन, परस्मैपद; णिच्-प्रयोग (causative: ‘make perform sacrifice’)

• सांप्रतम्: now
• सांप्रतम्: Kriya-vishesana (Temporal)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सांप्रतम् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक (at present/now)

• परित्यज्य: having abandoned
• परित्यज्य: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: परि-त्यज् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (Gerund), ‘having abandoned’

• करिष्यामि: I will make/appoint
• करिष्यामि: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: लृट्-लकार (Simple Future), उत्तम-पुरुष (1st person), एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• शीघ्रम्: quickly
• शीघ्रम्: Kriya-vishesana (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: शीघ्रम् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रियाविशेषण (quickly)

• अन्यम्: another
• अन्यम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अन्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषण

• पुरोहितम्: priest
• पुरोहितम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुरोहित (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

Speaker

King (narādhipaḥ)

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Śaunaka and the Naimiṣāraṇya sages (implied)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The king, stern and impatient, speaks to the sages; one hand indicates readiness for sacrifice (yajña-vedi in background), the other gestures dismissal; sages remain composed, weighing dharma.

Characters & Entities

• King
• purohita (priest)
• yajña (sacrifice)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Religious power used as coercion violates dharma; sacred rites require reverence, not threats.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No site is named in this verse; it is part of the narrative leading into the tīrtha’s moral teaching.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A yajña requiring officiating priests (ṛtviks/purohita) is referenced, but the rite is not specified.