Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 7

Devanagari script

वेदशर्माभिधो विद्वान्सर्वकर्मकलापवित् । ब्राह्मणाय प्रतिश्रुत्य न मया तत्र जन्मनि

Transliteration

vedaśarmābhidho vidvānsarvakarmakalāpavit | brāhmaṇāya pratiśrutya na mayā tatra janmani

Translation

నేను వేదశర్మ అనే పండితుడను, సమస్త కర్మకాండలలో నిపుణుడను. ఒక బ్రాహ్మణునికి దానం ఇస్తానని ప్రతిజ్ఞ చేసి కూడా, ఆ జన్మలో నేను అది ఇవ్వలేదు।

Word by Word

• vedaśarmā-abhidhaḥ: named Vedaśarmā
• vedaśarmā-abhidhaḥ: Kartā-viśeṣaṇa (Subject qualifier/कर्तृविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vedaśarman (प्रातिपदिक; नाम) + abhidha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष—'वेदशर्मा इति अभिधः' (named Vedaśarmā)

• vidvān: learned
• vidvān: Kartā-viśeṣaṇa (Subject qualifier/कर्तृविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: √vid (धातु)
• Form: वत्/वस्-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (perfect participle-like adjective), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; 'विद्वस्' (learned)

• sarva-karma-kalāpa-vit: knower of all sets of rituals/acts
• sarva-karma-kalāpa-vit: Kartā-viśeṣaṇa (Subject qualifier/कर्तृविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक) + karma (प्रातिपदिक) + kalāpa (प्रातिपदिक) + vit (प्रातिपदिक; from √vid)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; बहुपद-तत्पुरुष—'सर्वकर्मकलापं वेत्ति' (knower of the whole collection of rites/acts)

• brāhmaṇāya: to a Brahmin
• brāhmaṇāya: Sampradāna (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brāhmaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (4th/सम्प्रदान), एकवचन

• pratiśrutya: having promised
• pratiśrutya: Pūrvakāla-kriyā (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: prati + √śru (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (absolutive/gerund); 'प्रतिश्रुत्य' = 'प्रतिज्ञाय' (having promised)

• na: not
• na: Pratiṣedha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-निपात (negation particle)

• mayā: by me
• mayā: Kartṛ-karaṇa (Agent in passive/कर्तृ-करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तमपुरुष-सर्वनाम, तृतीया, एकवचन

• tatra: there
• tatra: Deśa-adhikaraṇa (Place adjunct/देशाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatra (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (locative adverb: there)

• janmani: in (that) birth
• janmani: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: janman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन

Speaker

Sṛgāla (jackal; past-life confession as Vedaśarman)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A remorseful jackal narrates: behind him, a flashback shows Vedaśarman promising wealth to a brāhmaṇa petitioner near a ritual fire; the promise hangs like an uncut thread into the present cremation-ground.

Characters & Entities

• Vedaśarman
• Brāhmaṇa
• Pratiśruti (promise)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Ritual knowledge and competence do not excuse ethical breach; a promised dāna must be fulfilled.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Setu-khaṇḍa setting underlies the teaching, situating dharma-instruction within the pilgrimage ethos of the Setu (Rāmeśvara).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Fulfilling a promised gift (pratiśruti) to a brāhmaṇa—i.e., do not withhold what has been vowed as dāna.