Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 17

Devanagari script

स्वमुद्राचिह्नितं तत्र त्रैविद्येभ्यस्तथा ददौ । चतुश्चत्वारिंशवर्षो रामो दशरथात्मजः

Transliteration

svamudrācihnitaṃ tatra traividyebhyastathā dadau | catuścatvāriṃśavarṣo rāmo daśarathātmajaḥ

Translation

ସେଠାରେ ସେ ନିଜ ମୁଦ୍ରାଚିହ୍ନିତ ତାହାକୁ ତ୍ରିବେଦଜ୍ଞ ପଣ୍ଡିତମାନଙ୍କୁ ପ୍ରଦାନ କଲେ। ଦଶରଥପୁତ୍ର ରାମଙ୍କ ବୟସ ଚୁଆଳିଶ ବର୍ଷ ଥିଲା।

Word by Word

• स्व-मुद्रा-चिह्नितम्: marked with his own seal
• स्व-मुद्रा-चिह्नितम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्व (प्रातिपदिक) + मुद्रा (प्रातिपदिक) + चिह्नित (कृदन्त; √चिह्न्/चिह्नय् (धातु) + क्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (कर्म), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समासः (स्वमुद्रया चिह्नितम् = marked with his own seal)

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana/Avyaya (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक क्रियाविशेषण

• त्रैविद्येभ्यः: to the three-Veda scholars
• त्रैविद्येभ्यः: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्रैविद्य (प्रातिपदिक; त्रि + विद्य)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी/पञ्चमी-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; अत्र चतुर्थी (सम्प्रदान) ‘to the knowers of the three Vedas’; तत्पुरुषः (त्रैविद्यः = त्रयाणां विद्यानां/वेदानां ज्ञाता)

• तथा: thus/likewise
• तथा: Sambandha/Avyaya (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रियाविशेषण

• ददौ: gave
• ददौ: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √दा (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (परिपूर्णभूत/Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• चतुः-चत्वारिंश-वर्षः: forty-four years old
• चतुः-चत्वारिंश-वर्षः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: चतुः (संख्याशब्द-प्रातिपदिक) + चत्वारिंशत् (संख्याशब्द-प्रातिपदिक) + वर्ष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; द्विगु-समासः (चतुःचत्वारिंशत् वर्षाणि यस्य सः/वयः) — ‘aged forty-four’

• रामः: Rama
• रामः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: राम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• दशरथ-आत्मजः: son of Daśaratha
• दशरथ-आत्मजः: Apposition (Same as subject/समनाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दशरथ (प्रातिपदिक) + आत्मज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (दशरथस्य आत्मजः = son of Daśaratha)

Speaker

Narratorial voice within Dharmāraṇyakhaṇḍa (context speaker not explicit in the snippet)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Dharmāraṇya (contextual)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Rāma, mature and regal, presses his seal upon a palm-leaf charter and ceremonially hands it to three Vedic ācāryas; the teachers receive it with añjali, surrounded by ritual fire and witnesses.

Characters & Entities

• Rāma
• Daśaratha
• Traividya (three-Veda scholars)
• Mudrā (seal)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharma is preserved by entrusting sacred decrees to qualified Vedic custodians and establishing legitimacy through proper authentication.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Dharmāraṇya sacred region is reinforced as a place where dharma is formally instituted and safeguarded by learned Brahmins.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Implied dharmic protocol: sealing/authenticating an ordinance and formally handing it to traividya Brahmins for preservation.