Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 54

Devanagari script

दक्षोऽपि विधिवद्यज्ञं चकार द्विजसत्तमाः । संहृष्टैर्वालखिल्यैस्तैरुपविष्टैः समीपतः

Transliteration

dakṣo'pi vidhivadyajñaṃ cakāra dvijasattamāḥ | saṃhṛṣṭairvālakhilyaistairupaviṣṭaiḥ samīpataḥ

Translation

Wahai yang terbaik antara kaum dwija, Dakṣa juga melaksanakan yajña menurut tata aturan yang benar, sementara para resi Vālakhilya yang bersukacita duduk berhampiran.

Word by Word

• dakṣaḥ: Dakṣa
• dakṣaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dakṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

• api: also
• api: Sambandha (Discourse particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयार्थक निपात (also)

• vidhivat: according to rule
• vidhivat: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vidhivat (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; विधिपूर्वकं इत्यर्थे (manner adverb)

• yajñam: sacrifice
• yajñam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yajña (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन (Singular)

• cakāra: performed
• cakāra: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kṛ (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular)

• dvijasattamāḥ: O best of the twice-born
• dvijasattamāḥ: Sambodhana (Vocative address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dvija + sattama (प्रातिपदिक-द्वय)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), बहुवचन (Plural); षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः—'द्विजानां सत्तमाः' (O best of twice-born)

• saṃhṛṣṭaiḥ: with delighted (ones)
• saṃhṛṣṭaiḥ: Karana/Association (Instrument/सह)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: saṃhṛṣṭa (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; √hṛṣ)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental), बहुवचन (Plural); भूतकृदन्त

• vālakhilyaiḥ: with the Vālakhilyas
• vālakhilyaiḥ: Karana/Association (Instrument/सह)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vālakhilya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental), बहुवचन (Plural)

• taiḥ: by/with them
• taiḥ: Karana/Association (Instrument/सह)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental), बहुवचन (Plural)

• upaviṣṭaiḥ: seated
• upaviṣṭaiḥ: Karana/Association (Instrument/सह)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: upa-vi-ṣad (धातु)
• Form: क्त (past participle), पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental), बहुवचन (Plural)

• samīpataḥ: nearby
• samīpataḥ: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: samīpataḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक (adverb: from/at near side)

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) (narrator)

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Śaunaka and the Naimiṣāraṇya sages (implied)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A grand yajña pavilion with altars, ladles, and priests; Dakṣa presides while Vālakhilya sages sit nearby, joyful and attentive; offerings rise as smoke columns into the sky.

Characters & Entities

• Dakṣa
• Vālakhilya sages
• Yajña

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Ritual power is upheld by adherence to proper injunctions (vidhi) and the presence of sanctified sages.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

This verse is situated in the Dakṣa-yajña narrative segment; it does not directly name a tīrtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

The sacrifice should be performed “vidhivat”—in strict accordance with prescribed ritual rules.