Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 74

Devanagari script

अद्यप्रभृति वै विप्राः साग्नयः स्युर्धरातले । तैः सर्वैर्वैश्वदेवांते बलिर्देयस्तथाखिलः

Transliteration

adyaprabhṛti vai viprāḥ sāgnayaḥ syurdharātale | taiḥ sarvairvaiśvadevāṃte balirdeyastathākhilaḥ

Translation

Mulai hari ini, wahai para brāhmaṇa, hendaklah kamu hidup di bumi sebagai para grihastha yang memelihara api suci. Dan oleh kamu semua, pada penutup upacara Vaiśvadeva, persembahan bali hendaklah diberikan dengan sempurna.

Word by Word

• अद्य: today, now
• अद्य: Adhikarana (Context/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: adya (अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (temporal adverb)

• प्रभृति: from (this time) onward
• प्रभृति: Adhikarana (Context/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: prabhṛti (अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय; आरम्भवाचक (from ... onwards)

• वै: indeed
• वै: None
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vai (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात (particle/emphasis)

• विप्राः: brāhmaṇas
• विप्राः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vipra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन

• साग्नयः: with sacred fires
• साग्नयः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sa + agni (प्रातिपदिक; साग्नि)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; उपपद-तत्पुरुष (अग्निसहिताः) विप्राः इति विशेषण

• स्युः: should be
• स्युः: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन; परस्मैपद

• धरातले: on the earth’s surface
• धरातले: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dharā-tala (प्रातिपदिक; धरातल)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (धरायाः तलम्)

• तैः: by them
• तैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन

• सर्वैः: by all (of them)
• सर्वैः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन; तैः इति विशेषण

• वैश्वदेव-अन्ते: at the end of the Vaiśvadeva rite
• वैश्वदेव-अन्ते: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vaiśvadeva + anta (प्रातिपदिक; वैश्वदेवान्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (वैश्वदेवस्य अन्ते)

• बलिः: food-offering (bali)
• बलिः: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bali (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• देयः: to be given
• देयः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: deya (प्रातिपदिक; √दा-णिच्/यत्)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; विधेय/कर्तव्य (gerundive: ‘to be given’), बलिः इति विशेषण

• तथा: thus, likewise
• तथा: None
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tathā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रियाविशेषण (adverb: ‘thus/likewise’)

• अखिलः: entire, complete
• अखिलः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: akhila (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; बलिः इति विशेषण

Speaker

Brahmā (deduced from immediate narrative context leading into Brahmovāca)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Brāhmaṇas (within the story); Naimiṣāraṇya sages (frame)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Brahmā (or the authoritative speaker) instructs brāhmaṇas to live as householders with sacred fires; a domestic altar with flames; offerings arranged; bali placed at the end of Vaiśvadeva.

Characters & Entities

• Brahmā
• Vipra (brāhmaṇa)
• Vaiśvadeva
• Bali (offering)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred geography is upheld through daily dharma: maintaining the fires and completing rites with bali cultivates harmony with gods and beings.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The wider passage belongs to the Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra Māhātmya within Nāgara Khaṇḍa, connected to the Yakṣma-tīrtha origin narrative.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

After performing the Vaiśvadeva rite, one should offer bali (the prescribed portion/offering) as part of daily household ritual duty.