Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 32

Devanagari script

भर्तृयज्ञ उवाच । सृष्टिं प्रकुर्वता तेन पशवो लोककारिणा । खड्गवाध्रीणसादीनां पश्चात्सृष्टाः स्वयंभुवा

Transliteration

bhartṛyajña uvāca | sṛṣṭiṃ prakurvatā tena paśavo lokakāriṇā | khaḍgavādhrīṇasādīnāṃ paścātsṛṣṭāḥ svayaṃbhuvā

Translation

భర్తృయజ్ఞుడు అన్నాడు—లోకహితకారి స్వయంభూ ప్రభువు సృష్టిని ఆరంభించినప్పుడు, ఖడ్గము (గండమృగం), వ్యాఘ్రము మొదలైన జీవుల సృష్టి అనంతరం యజ్ఞోపయోగి (మేధ్య) పశువులు సృష్టింపబడ్డారు।

Word by Word

• bhartṛ-yajñaḥ: Bhartṛyajña
• bhartṛ-yajñaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhartṛ (प्रातिपदिक) + yajña (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (कर्ता), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (भर्तुः यज्ञः)

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• sṛṣṭim: creation
• sṛṣṭim: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sṛṣṭi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (कर्म), एकवचन

• prakurvatā: by (him) creating
• prakurvatā: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pra-kṛ (धातु)
• Form: वर्तमानकृदन्त (शतृ), तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग; ‘तेन’ इत्यस्य विशेषणम् (by him who was creating)

• tena: by him
• tena: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (करण), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• paśavaḥ: animals
• paśavaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: paśu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (कर्ता), बहुवचन

• loka-kāriṇā: by the world-creator
• loka-kāriṇā: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: loka (प्रातिपदिक) + kārin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; तृतीया-सम्बन्धे; उपपद-तत्पुरुषः (लोकं करोति इति); ‘तेन’ इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

• khaḍga-vādhrīṇa-sādīnām: of rhinoceroses, vādhrīṇas, sādīs, etc.
• khaḍga-vādhrīṇa-sādīnām: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: khaḍga (प्रातिपदिक) + vādhrīṇa (प्रातिपदिक) + sādi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (सम्बन्ध), बहुवचन; इतरेतर-द्वन्द्वः (खड्गाश्च वाध्रीणाश्च सादयश्च) + ‘ādi’ (etc.)

• paścāt: afterwards
• paścāt: Sambandha (Temporal adverb/कालवाचक)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: paścāt (अव्यय)
• Form: काल/क्रम-अव्यय (afterwards)

• sṛṣṭāḥ: created
• sṛṣṭāḥ: Karta (Predicate/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sṛj (धातु)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; ‘paśavaḥ’ इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

• svayaṃ-bhuvā: by the Self-born (Brahmā)
• svayaṃ-bhuvā: Karana (Agent-instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: svayam (अव्यय) + bhū (धातु) → svayaṃbhū (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (करण), एकवचन; अव्ययीभावः (स्वयम् भूः)

Speaker

Bhartṛyajña

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Ānarta (king)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The brāhmaṇa Bhartṛyajña explains that the Self-born Creator, acting for the welfare of worlds, produced creatures in sequence; after fierce beasts like rhinoceros and tiger, sacrificial animals were created.

Characters & Entities

• Svayambhū (Brahmā)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharma is grounded in cosmic order: even ritual supports (paśu and related means) are portrayed as intentionally created for the welfare of beings.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

This verse sits within the Nāgarakhaṇḍa’s Tīrthamāhātmya discourse; the immediate line focuses on creation-background for śrāddha rather than naming a single tīrtha in the verse itself.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

It frames the legitimacy of śrāddha-related ritual supports by tracing them to Svayambhū’s creation, preparing the ground for later prescriptions on offerings and dakṣiṇā.