Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 43

Devanagari script

पुत्रस्तु ब्राह्मणश्रेष्ठो भूयादभ्यधिकस्तव

Transliteration

putrastu brāhmaṇaśreṣṭho bhūyādabhyadhikastava

Translation

पुत्रस्तु तव ब्राह्मणश्रेष्ठो भूयाद् अभ्यधिकस्तव।

Word by Word

• putraḥ: son
• putraḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: putra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• tu: but/indeed
• tu: Sambandha (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: विरोध/विशेषार्थक-निपात (particle: but/indeed)

• brāhmaṇa-śreṣṭhaḥ: best among Brahmins
• brāhmaṇa-śreṣṭhaḥ: Karta (Subject-complement)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brāhmaṇa (प्रातिपदिक) + śreṣṭha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (brāhmaṇānāṃ śreṣṭhaḥ)

• bhūyāt: may he be
• bhūyāt: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: bhū (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• abhyadhikaḥ: superior/exceeding
• abhyadhikaḥ: Karta (Subject-complement)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: abhyadhika (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; विशेषण

• tava: than you/of you
• tava: Sambandha (Comparison base/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tvad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

Speaker

Wife (continuing her request)

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Ṛcīka

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A serene benediction moment: the wife’s wish crystallizes as a luminous white-gold aura above an implied child, symbolizing brāhma-tejas and spiritual eminence.

Characters & Entities

• Brāhmaṇa
• tejas
• lineage

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The Purāṇic ideal elevates brahminical virtues—self-restraint, tapas, and sacred knowledge—as the highest inheritance.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The broader passage belongs to the Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra māhātmya setting within Nāgara Khaṇḍa, where place-glory is taught through exemplary histories.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly; the verse is a blessing regarding spiritual stature of progeny.