Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 6

Devanagari script

नागरैर्ब्राह्मणैर्बाह्यं योऽत्र यज्ञं समाचरेत् । श्राद्धं वा स हि वध्यः स्यात्सर्वेषां च द्विजन्मनाम्

Transliteration

nāgarairbrāhmaṇairbāhyaṃ yo'tra yajñaṃ samācaret | śrāddhaṃ vā sa hi vadhyaḥ syātsarveṣāṃ ca dvijanmanām

Translation

Quem aqui realizar um yajña—ou mesmo um śrāddha—excluindo os brāhmaṇas Nāgara, é de fato digno de punição por todos os dvija.

Word by Word

• नागरैः: by/with the Nāgaras (people of Nāgara)
• नागरैः: Karana (Instrument/association/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nāgara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3), बहुवचन

• ब्राह्मणैः: by/with Brahmins
• ब्राह्मणैः: Karana (Instrument/association/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brāhmaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3), बहुवचन

• बाह्यम्: excluded; outside (the community)
• बाह्यम्: Karta (Predicate complement)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: bāhya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; विधेय-विशेषण (one who is excluded)

• यः: who
• यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; सम्बन्ध-सर्वनाम (relative pronoun)

• अत्र: here
• अत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atra (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (locative adverb: here)

• यज्ञम्: sacrifice; ritual
• यज्ञम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yajña (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन

• समाचरेत्: should perform
• समाचरेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sam-ā-√car (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• श्राद्धम्: śrāddha rite (ancestral offering)
• श्राद्धम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śrāddha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन

• वा: or
• वा: None
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vā (अव्यय)
• Form: विकल्प-अव्यय (disjunctive particle: or)

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• हि: indeed
• हि: None
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: hi (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle: indeed/for)

• वध्यः: to be killed; punishable by death
• वध्यः: Karta (Predicate complement)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vadhya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; विधेय-विशेषण

• स्यात्: would be; should be
• स्यात्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √as (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• सर्वेषाम्: of all
• सर्वेषाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6), बहुवचन; ‘द्विजन्मनाम्’ इत्यस्य विशेषण

• च: and
• च: None
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (conjunction)

• द्विजन्मनाम्: of the twice-born
• द्विजन्मनाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dvi-janman (प्रातिपदिक); dvi + janman
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6), बहुवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष

Speaker

Nāgara brāhmaṇas (collectively), laying down local ritual rule (contextual)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Nāgara-kṣetra (implied)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A ritual arena in the kṣetra: a yajña-kuṇḍa and śrāddha setting; a figure attempts to exclude Nāgara brāhmaṇas; the assembly of dvijas declares him punishable.

Characters & Entities

• Nāgara brāhmaṇas
• dvijanman (twice-born)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Ritual acts gain legitimacy through dharmic procedure and proper inclusion of qualified ritual specialists; willful exclusion is treated as grave adharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The injunction applies to the tīrtha-region described in Nāgarakhaṇḍa Tīrthamāhātmya, emphasizing its distinctive local ritual order.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Do not perform yajña or śrāddha in this place while excluding the Nāgara brāhmaṇas; such an act is declared severely punishable.