Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 45

Devanagari script

ब्राह्मणक्षत्रियविशां सच्छूद्राणामथापि वा । शालिग्रामाधिकारोऽस्ति न चान्येषां कदाचन

Transliteration

brāhmaṇakṣatriyaviśāṃ sacchūdrāṇāmathāpi vā | śāligrāmādhikāro'sti na cānyeṣāṃ kadācana

Translation

Brāhmaṇas, Kṣatriyas, Vaiśyas—e também os Śūdras virtuosos—têm a elegibilidade para o culto de Śāligrāma; mas os outros, nunca, em tempo algum.

Word by Word

• ब्राह्मणक्षत्रियविशाम्: of Brahmins, Kshatriyas, and Vaishyas
• ब्राह्मणक्षत्रियविशाम्: सम्बन्ध (Genitive relation/अधिकारिणः)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्राह्मण (प्रातिपदिक) + क्षत्रिय (प्रातिपदिक) + विश्/वैश्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन; समाहार-द्वन्द्व/इतरेतर-द्वन्द्व (contextual), ‘ब्राह्मण-क्षत्रिय-वैश्य’ इत्येषां

• सच्छूद्राणाम्: of good/virtuous Shudras
• सच्छूद्राणाम्: सम्बन्ध (Genitive relation/अधिकारिणः)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सत् (प्रातिपदिक) + शूद्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन; कर्मधारयः ‘सत्-शूद्र’ = ‘सच्छूद्र’

• अथ: and also/then
• अथ: सम्बन्ध (Discourse connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अथ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अनुक्रम/समुच्चयार्थक (then/and also)

• अपि: also/even
• अपि: सम्बन्ध (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय/अप्यर्थ (also/even)

• वा: or
• वा: सम्बन्ध (Disjunction)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; विकल्पार्थक (or)

• शालिग्रामाधिकारः: the entitlement/eligibility regarding Śālagrāma
• शालिग्रामाधिकारः: कर्ता (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शालिग्राम (प्रातिपदिक) + अधिकार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः ‘शालिग्रामस्य अधिकारः’

• अस्ति: exists/is
• अस्ति: क्रिया (Predicate verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• न: not
• न: सम्बन्ध (Negation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निषेध (negation)

• च: and
• च: सम्बन्ध (Conjunction)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयार्थक (and)

• अन्येषाम्: of others
• अन्येषाम्: सम्बन्ध (Genitive relation/अपवाद)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अन्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (सामान्यतया), षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन; ‘अन्य’ = others

• कदाचन: ever/at any time
• कदाचन: अधिकरण (Temporal adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: कदाचन (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक (at any time/ever)

Speaker

Gālava (contextual deduction)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Śāligrāma (iconic tīrtha)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A learned brāhmaṇa instructs a mixed group of householders; a Śāligrāma rests on a cloth-covered pedestal, indicating reverence and rules; listeners show attentive restraint.

Characters & Entities

• Śāligrāma-śilā

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The text frames Śāligrāma worship within a traditional dharma-based notion of eligibility and moral qualification.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No single geographic tīrtha is named in this verse; the focus is on Śāligrāma worship eligibility.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

It states who is considered eligible (adhikārin) for Śāligrāma worship according to this passage.