Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 28

Devanagari script

ततो बृहस्पतिः प्राह समभ्येत्य पितामहम् । समानीता मया देव ब्राह्मणा यज्ञकर्मणि

Transliteration

tato bṛhaspatiḥ prāha samabhyetya pitāmaham | samānītā mayā deva brāhmaṇā yajñakarmaṇi

Translation

அப்போது ப்ருஹஸ்பதி பிதாமஹனான பிரம்மாவை அணுகி கூறினார்— “தேவா! யாகக் காரியத்திற்காக நான் பிராமணர்களை அழைத்து வந்தேன்।”

Word by Word

• tataḥ: then/thereupon
• tataḥ: Sambandha (Context/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatas (अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (क्रियाविशेषण) = indeclinable adverb; अर्थे: तस्मात्/अनन्तरम् (thereupon/then)

• bṛhaspatiḥ: Bṛhaspati
• bṛhaspatiḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bṛhaspati (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• prāha: said/spoke
• prāha: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √ah (अह्/ब्रू) (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• samabhyetya: having approached
• samabhyetya: Kriya-viseshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sam-√i (इ) (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund) = having approached; उपसर्ग: सम्+अभि

• pitāmaham: the Grandfather (Brahmā)
• pitāmaham: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pitāmaha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• samānītāḥ: (they) have been brought/assembled
• samānītāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sam-√nī (नी) (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्यय (past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; कर्मणि प्रयोगे ‘brought/assembled’

• mayā: by me
• mayā: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, तृतीया-विभक्ति (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन

• deva: O god/lord
• deva: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative), एकवचन

• brāhmaṇāḥ: Brahmins
• brāhmaṇāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brāhmaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• yajñakarmaṇi: in the sacrificial rite
• yajñakarmaṇi: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yajña-karman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (7th/Locative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: ‘यज्ञस्य कर्म’ = ritual act of sacrifice

Speaker

Narrative voice reporting Bṛhaspati’s speech

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Ṛṣis (Naimiṣāraṇya assembly)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Bṛhaspati, radiant as the preceptor of the gods, approaches four-faced Brahmā seated on a lotus-throne, reporting that brāhmaṇas have been assembled for the sacrifice; attendants hold ladles, kuśa-grass, and ritual vessels.

Characters & Entities

• Bṛhaspati
• Brahmā (Pitāmaha)
• Brāhmaṇas

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Ritual dharma requires qualified participants; sacred acts are upheld through proper priestly involvement.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The surrounding chapter is a tīrtha-māhātmya narrative in Nāgarakhaṇḍa; this verse focuses on yajña logistics rather than naming the site.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Assembling brāhmaṇas to carry out yajña-karman (sacrificial duties).