Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 8

Devanagari script

भर्तृयज्ञ उवाच । यस्य नो विद्यते पुत्र औरसश्च महीपते । चतुर्णां स्वपितॄणां तु कथं स स्याच्चतुर्थकः

Transliteration

bhartṛyajña uvāca | yasya no vidyate putra aurasaśca mahīpate | caturṇāṃ svapitṝṇāṃ tu kathaṃ sa syāccaturthakaḥ

Translation

Bhartṛyajña bersabda: “Wahai raja, jika seseorang tiada anak lelaki—tiada anak lelaki sah daripada dirinya—bagaimanakah dia dapat menjadi ‘yang keempat’ dalam kalangan empat leluhur dirinya?”

Word by Word

• भर्तृयज्ञः: Bhartṛyajña
• भर्तृयज्ञः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भर्तृ (प्रातिपदिक) + यज्ञ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष-समास; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार, प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• यस्य: whose/of whom
• यस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• न: not
• न: Nishedha (Negation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-अव्यय

• विद्यते: exists
• विद्यते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: विद् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार, प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन, आत्मनेपद; अस्त्यर्थ (exists)

• पुत्रः: son
• पुत्रः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुत्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• औरसः: legitimate/born of the body
• औरसः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: औरस (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘पुत्रः’ इत्यस्य विशेषण

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Coordination)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय

• महीपते: O king/lord of the earth
• महीपते: Sambodhana (Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महीपति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष-समास (मही-पति); पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• चतुर्णाम्: of four
• चतुर्णाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: चतुर् (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; संख्या-विशेषण

• स्वपितॄणाम्: of one’s own fathers/ancestors
• स्वपितॄणाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्व (प्रातिपदिक) + पितृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष-समास (‘स्वस्य पितरः’); पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• तु: but/indeed
• तु: Nipata (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: विरोध/विशेषार्थक-निपात

• कथम्: how
• कथम्: Prashna (Interrogative)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: कथम् (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रश्नार्थक-अव्यय

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• स्यात्: could be/would be
• स्यात्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• चतुर्थकः: the fourth (one)
• चतुर्थकः: Karta (Subject complement)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चतुर्थक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

Speaker

Bhartṛyajña

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Ānarta (māhīpati)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Bhartṛyajña addresses the king, illustrating the ‘four ancestors’ concept—perhaps with symbolic depiction of three pitṛs behind and the living performer in front—showing the missing ‘fourth’ when no son exists.

Characters & Entities

• Bhartṛyajña
• Mahīpati (king)
• pitṛ

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Continuity of ancestral rites is a key dharmic concern; the text frames the problem of lineage and ritual succession when an aurasa son is absent.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No single tīrtha is named in this verse; it is part of a broader tīrtha-centered discourse that includes ritual law and merit.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

It references the ancestral framework (four forefathers) tied to śrāddha and sapiṇḍīkaraṇa, questioning how the deceased is ritually integrated without a son.