Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 11

Devanagari script

देशे वा मण्डले वापि वा ग्रामे नगरेऽपि वा । गृहे वा तिष्ठते यस्य चातुर्वर्ण्यस्य भारत

Transliteration

deśe vā maṇḍale vāpi vā grāme nagare'pi vā | gṛhe vā tiṣṭhate yasya cāturvarṇyasya bhārata

Translation

Wahai Bhārata, sama ada di negeri atau wilayah, di desa atau kota, bahkan di dalam rumah—di mana tatanan caturvarṇya (empat golongan) ditegakkan dengan benar dan tetap bersemayam…

Word by Word

• deśe: in a country/region
• deśe: Adhikaraṇa (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• vā: or
• vā: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vā (अव्यय)
• Form: विकल्पार्थक-निपात (disjunctive particle: 'or')

• maṇḍale: in a district/territory
• maṇḍale: Adhikaraṇa (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: maṇḍala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• vā: or
• vā: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vā (अव्यय)
• Form: विकल्पार्थक-निपात (disjunctive particle)

• api: also/even
• api: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय/अपि-निपात (particle: 'also/even')

• vā: or
• vā: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vā (अव्यय)
• Form: विकल्पार्थक-निपात (disjunctive particle)

• grāme: in a village
• grāme: Adhikaraṇa (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: grāma (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• nagare: in a city
• nagare: Adhikaraṇa (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nagara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• api: also/even
• api: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय/अपि-निपात (particle: 'also/even')

• vā: or
• vā: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vā (अव्यय)
• Form: विकल्पार्थक-निपात (disjunctive particle)

• gṛhe: in a house
• gṛhe: Adhikaraṇa (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gṛha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• vā: or
• vā: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vā (अव्यय)
• Form: विकल्पार्थक-निपात (disjunctive particle)

• tiṣṭhate: dwells/stands
• tiṣṭhate: Kriyā (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sthā (स्था धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

• yasya: of whom/whose
• yasya: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (यद् सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन; सम्बन्धवाचक सर्वनाम

• cāturvarṇyasya: of the fourfold varṇa order
• cāturvarṇyasya: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: cāturvarṇya (चातुर्वर्ण्य प्रातिपदिक; catur+varṇa)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• bhārata: O Bhārata
• bhārata: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhārata (भारत प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th/Vocative), एकवचन

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) (deduced)

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Bhārata/Pārtha (Arjuna)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A panoramic sequence: country, province, village, city, and a serene household—each shown orderly, with the four varṇas performing their duties; a subtle aura of sanctity pervades all settings.

Characters & Entities

• Bhārata

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharma is not confined to one place; it is upheld wherever righteous social and household order is maintained.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No single tīrtha is named in this verse; it generalizes dharma’s presence across all locales.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No specific rite; it points to the establishment/maintenance of cāturvarṇya-dharma.