Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 8

Devanagari script

क्षत्रियोऽपि पुरस्कृत्य देवदेवं पितामहम् । न चैकेन वसिष्ठेन तेनैतद्वैरमाहितम्

Transliteration

kṣatriyo'pi puraskṛtya devadevaṃ pitāmaham | na caikena vasiṣṭhena tenaitadvairamāhitam

Translation

କ୍ଷତ୍ରିୟ ହୋଇଥିଲେ ମଧ୍ୟ ସେ ଦେବଦେବ ପିତାମହ ବ୍ରହ୍ମାଙ୍କୁ ଅଗ୍ରେ ସ୍ଥାପନ କଲେ; ଏବଂ ଏହି ବୈର କେବଳ ବସିଷ୍ଠ ଏକାଙ୍କ ଦ୍ୱାରା ହିଁ ସ୍ଥାପିତ ହୋଇନଥିଲା।

Word by Word

• क्षत्रियः: the Kṣatriya
• क्षत्रियः: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्षत्रिय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्

• अपि: also/even
• अपि: Sambandha (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (निपातः; also/even)

• पुरस्कृत्य: having honored/put forward
• पुरस्कृत्य: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: पुरस्+कृ (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय-भावकृदन्तम् (Gerund), अर्थे: having placed in front/having honored

• देवदेवम्: the god of gods
• देवदेवम्: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक) + देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय-समासः (देवानां देवः); पुंलिङ्गे, द्वितीया-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्

• पितामहम्: the Grandfather (Brahmā)
• पितामहम्: Karma (Apposition to object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पितामह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, द्वितीया-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Negation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (निषेध particle)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (समुच्चय-bodhaka conjunction)

• एकेन: by one alone
• एकेन: Karana (Instrument/Agent)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: एक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, तृतीया-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; विशेषणम्

• वसिष्ठेन: by Vasiṣṭha
• वसिष्ठेन: Karana (Agent)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वसिष्ठ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, तृतीया-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्

• तेन: by him
• तेन: Karana (Instrument/Agent)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, तृतीया-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्

• एतत्: this
• एतत्: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्

• वैरम्: enmity
• वैरम्: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वैर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्

• आहितम्: was established
• आहितम्: Kriya (Predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ+धा (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (Past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्गे प्रथमा/द्वितीया एकवचनम्; अर्थे: placed/established

Speaker

Sūta (contextual continuation)

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Ṛṣis

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Viśvāmitra, still bearing kṣatriya vigor, offers reverence to Pitāmaha Brahmā; behind him, the tension with Vasiṣṭha is shown as a broader web—multiple figures and circumstances rather than a single antagonist.

Characters & Entities

• Viśvāmitra (implied)
• Brahmā (Pitāmaha)
• Vasiṣṭha
• Kṣatriya

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Birth identity is not the final measure; aspiration toward the highest (with discipline) is emphasized, while conflicts are shown as complex and multi-causal.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

None directly; it remains part of the narrative frame explaining the Sarasvatī episode.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it references devotion/aim toward Brahmā as the supreme ideal in this context.