Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 101

Devanagari script

याज्ञवल्क्य उवाच । वरं ददासि चेन्मह्यं वेदपाठे नियोजय । मां विभो येन शिष्यत्वं तव गच्छामि सांप्रतम्

Transliteration

yājñavalkya uvāca | varaṃ dadāsi cenmahyaṃ vedapāṭhe niyojaya | māṃ vibho yena śiṣyatvaṃ tava gacchāmi sāṃpratam

Translation

Yājñavalkya berkata: “Jika Engkau mengurniakan aku suatu anugerah, wahai Tuhan, tetapkanlah aku dalam pembacaan dan pengajian Veda, agar kini aku beroleh kedudukan sebagai murid di bawah-Mu.”

Word by Word

• याज्ञवल्क्य: Yājñavalkya
• याज्ञवल्क्य: Karta (Speaker/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yājñavalkya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; वक्ता (speaker)

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Speech act/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (परोक्षभूत/Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• वरम्: a boon
• वरम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग (प्रयोगे नपुंसकवत्), द्वितीया, एकवचन; 'boon'

• ददासि: you give
• ददासि: Kriya (Conditional protasis/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: dā (धातु)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान), मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• चेत्: if
• चेत्: Sambandha (Condition marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: cet (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (समुच्चय/शर्त-निपात) = conditional particle 'if'

• मह्यम्: to me
• मह्यम्: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: चतुर्थी (4th/सम्प्रदान), एकवचन; 'to me'

• वेदपाठे: in Vedic recitation/study
• वेदपाठे: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: veda (प्रातिपदिक) + pāṭha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/अधिकरण), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः: 'वेदस्य पाठः' (recitation of the Veda)

• नियोजय: engage (me), appoint
• नियोजय: Kriya (Request/आज्ञा)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ni + yuj (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (आज्ञार्थ/Imperative), मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद; causative sense in usage 'appoint/engage'

• माम्: me
• माम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन

• विभो: O Lord, O mighty one
• विभो: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vibhu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th), एकवचन

• येन: by which, so that
• येन: Karana (Means/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), एकवचन; सम्बन्धक-सर्वनाम = 'by which/so that'

• शिष्यत्वम्: discipleship
• शिष्यत्वम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śiṣya (प्रातिपदिक) + त्व (त्व-प्रत्यय)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन; भाववाचक-प्रत्यय (abstract noun) = 'state of being a disciple'

• तव: your
• तव: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tvad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (6th), एकवचन; 'of you/your'

• गच्छामि: I attain/go
• गच्छामि: Kriya (Main action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: gam (धातु)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान), उत्तमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• सांप्रतम्: now
• सांप्रतम्: Adhikarana (Temporal/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sāṃpratam (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (कालवाचक) = 'now/at present'

Speaker

Yājñavalkya

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Āditya (Sūrya)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Yājñavalkya, hands folded, petitions Āditya for the boon of Vedic study and discipleship; the Sun-god radiates behind a chariot motif, suggesting cosmic movement.

Characters & Entities

• Yājñavalkya
• Sūrya (as Vibhu/Āditya)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The highest boon is not worldly gain but sacred knowledge and right discipline under a divine teacher.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse is part of a Nāgarakhaṇḍa Tīrthamāhātmya narrative; the place is implied but not named in this excerpt.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Veda-pāṭha (Vedic recitation/study) is requested as the boon—framed as a disciplined, teacher-guided practice.