Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 26

Devanagari script

एतेषामेव सर्वेषां सत्काराय द्विजोतमाः । चत्वारिंशत्तथाष्टौ च पुरा प्रोक्ताः स्वयंभुवा

Transliteration

eteṣāmeva sarveṣāṃ satkārāya dvijotamāḥ | catvāriṃśattathāṣṭau ca purā proktāḥ svayaṃbhuvā

Translation

Untuk memuliakan semua golongan ini, wahai yang terbaik antara kaum dwija, dahulu Svayaṃbhū (Brahmā) telah menetapkan dan mengisytiharkan empat puluh lapan (ketetapan).

Word by Word

• एतेषाम्: of these
• एतेषाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन (Plural)

• एव: indeed/only
• एव: Avadharana (Emphasis/अवधारण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारण अव्यय (particle of emphasis)

• सर्वेषाम्: of all
• सर्वेषाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन (Plural)

• सत्काराय: for honoring / for respectful reception
• सत्काराय: Sampradana (Recipient/purpose/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सत्कार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (4th/Dative), एकवचन (Singular)

• द्विजोत्तमाः: the best of the twice-born
• द्विजोत्तमाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्विज-उत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन (Plural)

• चत्वारिंशत्: forty
• चत्वारिंशत्: Visheshya (Predicate nominal/विधेय)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चत्वारिंशत् (प्रातिपदिक; संख्या)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (संख्याशब्द), प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

• तथा: and likewise
• तथा: Sambandha (Discourse marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb)

• अष्टौ: eight
• अष्टौ: Visheshya (Predicate nominal/विधेय)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अष्टन् (प्रातिपदिक; संख्या)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन (Plural)

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

• पुरा: formerly/earlier
• पुरा: Adverbial (Time/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुरा (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक अव्यय (temporal adverb)

• प्रोक्ताः: were proclaimed
• प्रोक्ताः: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र-वच् (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (Past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; ‘were declared’

• स्वयंभुवा: by Svayambhū (Brahmā)
• स्वयंभुवा: Kartr-karana (Agent in passive/कर्तृ-करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्वयंभू (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन (Singular)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced from Nāgarakhaṇḍa Tīrthamāhātmya narrative style)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A mythic administrative scene: Brahmā (Svayaṃbhū) symbolically ‘appoints’ forty-eight coordinators; below, a tīrtha-town council of priests organizes satkāra for many lineages; ledgers and ritual tokens are shown.

Characters & Entities

• Svayaṃbhū (Brahmā)
• Dvija

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharma is organized and safeguarded through established procedures; honoring the worthy is not optional but traditionally ordained.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Tīrtha is within Nāgarakhaṇḍa’s Tīrthamāhātmya; the verse highlights its divinely instituted system of honoring residents.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Satkāra (formal honoring) of the listed groups, with an ordained arrangement (forty-eight) attributed to Brahmā.