Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 35

Devanagari script

अहं हि ब्राह्मणो नाम्ना वत्सः ख्यातो महीतले । नानाशास्त्रकृताभ्यासः पुराऽसं वेदपारगः

Transliteration

ahaṃ hi brāhmaṇo nāmnā vatsaḥ khyāto mahītale | nānāśāstrakṛtābhyāsaḥ purā'saṃ vedapāragaḥ

Translation

Я и впрямь был брахманом, по имени Ватса, прославленным на земле. Прежде я упражнялся во многих шастрах и был сведущ, достигший совершенства в Ведах.

Word by Word

• अहम्: I
• अहम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• हि: indeed
• हि: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (Particle; emphasis/indeed)

• ब्राह्मणः: a brāhmaṇa
• ब्राह्मणः: Karta (Subject complement/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्राह्मण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• नाम्ना: by name
• नाम्ना: Karana (Means/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नामन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), एकवचन; ‘नाम्ना’ = ‘by name’ (adverbial instrumental)

• वत्सः: Vatsa
• वत्सः: Karta (Apposition/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वत्स (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• ख्यातः: known / famed
• ख्यातः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: √ख्या (ख्याने) (धातु) → ख्यात (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (Past passive participle/क्त), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘वत्सः’ इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

• महीतले: on the earth’s surface
• महीतले: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मही + तल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (‘of earth’ + ‘surface’)

• नानाशास्त्रकृताभ्यासः: one whose practice was in many scriptures
• नानाशास्त्रकृताभ्यासः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: नाना + शास्त्र + कृत + अभ्यास (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; बहुपद-समासः (determinative): नाना-शास्त्रेषु कृतः अभ्यासः यस्य सः (practice done in various śāstras)

• पुरा: formerly
• पुरा: Kala (Time/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुरा (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक अव्यय (Adverb of time: formerly)

• असम्: I was
• असम्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √अस् (अस) (धातु)
• Form: लङ्-लकार (Imperfect/Past), परस्मैपद, उत्तमपुरुष, एकवचन

• वेदपारगः: a master of the Vedas
• वेदपारगः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वेद + पारग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (‘of the Veda’ + ‘one who has gone to the far shore’ = master)

Speaker

Narrator (Brāhmaṇa Vatsa)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Unnamed interlocutor

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A dignified brāhmaṇa named Vatsa, with sacred thread and manuscripts, depicted as a renowned Veda-knower before the turning point of the story.

Characters & Entities

• Vatsa
• Veda
• Śāstra

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Learning and scriptural mastery are acknowledged, setting the stage for showing that higher transformation still depends on purity, tapas, and divine grace.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

This verse is biographical setup within the tīrtha narrative; the tīrtha focus is developed in the subsequent account.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Implicitly highlights svādhyāya (Vedic study), but no direct ritual instruction is stated here.