Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 11

Devanagari script

देशे वा मण्डले वापि वा ग्रामे नगरेऽपि वा । गृहे वा तिष्ठते यस्य चातुर्वर्ण्यस्य भारत

Transliteration

deśe vā maṇḍale vāpi vā grāme nagare'pi vā | gṛhe vā tiṣṭhate yasya cāturvarṇyasya bhārata

Translation

హే భారతా! దేశములో గానీ మండలములో గానీ, గ్రామములో గానీ నగరములో గానీ, ఇంటిలోనైనా—యెక్కడ చాతుర్వర్ణ్యం ధర్మపూర్వకంగా సుస్థిరంగా నిలిచియుంటుందో…

Word by Word

• deśe: in a country/region
• deśe: Adhikaraṇa (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• vā: or
• vā: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vā (अव्यय)
• Form: विकल्पार्थक-निपात (disjunctive particle: 'or')

• maṇḍale: in a district/territory
• maṇḍale: Adhikaraṇa (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: maṇḍala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• vā: or
• vā: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vā (अव्यय)
• Form: विकल्पार्थक-निपात (disjunctive particle)

• api: also/even
• api: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय/अपि-निपात (particle: 'also/even')

• vā: or
• vā: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vā (अव्यय)
• Form: विकल्पार्थक-निपात (disjunctive particle)

• grāme: in a village
• grāme: Adhikaraṇa (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: grāma (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• nagare: in a city
• nagare: Adhikaraṇa (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nagara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• api: also/even
• api: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय/अपि-निपात (particle: 'also/even')

• vā: or
• vā: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vā (अव्यय)
• Form: विकल्पार्थक-निपात (disjunctive particle)

• gṛhe: in a house
• gṛhe: Adhikaraṇa (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gṛha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• vā: or
• vā: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vā (अव्यय)
• Form: विकल्पार्थक-निपात (disjunctive particle)

• tiṣṭhate: dwells/stands
• tiṣṭhate: Kriyā (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sthā (स्था धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

• yasya: of whom/whose
• yasya: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (यद् सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन; सम्बन्धवाचक सर्वनाम

• cāturvarṇyasya: of the fourfold varṇa order
• cāturvarṇyasya: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: cāturvarṇya (चातुर्वर्ण्य प्रातिपदिक; catur+varṇa)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• bhārata: O Bhārata
• bhārata: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhārata (भारत प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th/Vocative), एकवचन

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) (deduced)

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Bhārata/Pārtha (Arjuna)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A panoramic sequence: country, province, village, city, and a serene household—each shown orderly, with the four varṇas performing their duties; a subtle aura of sanctity pervades all settings.

Characters & Entities

• Bhārata

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharma is not confined to one place; it is upheld wherever righteous social and household order is maintained.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No single tīrtha is named in this verse; it generalizes dharma’s presence across all locales.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No specific rite; it points to the establishment/maintenance of cāturvarṇya-dharma.