Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 87

Devanagari script

ब्राह्मणो न भवेत्सोऽत्र यद्यपि स्यात्षडंगवित् । अपरं लिंगभेदस्ते संजातः कपटादिषु

Transliteration

brāhmaṇo na bhavetso'tra yadyapi syātṣaḍaṃgavit | aparaṃ liṃgabhedaste saṃjātaḥ kapaṭādiṣu

Translation

అతడు ఇక్కడ నిజమైన బ్రాహ్మణుడు కాడు, అతడు షడంగములలో నిపుణుడైనా సరే. మరియూ నీలో మరొక పతనచిహ్నము పుట్టింది—కపటము మొదలైనవి.

Word by Word

• brāhmaṇaḥ: a Brahmin
• brāhmaṇaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brāhmaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• na: not
• na: Sambandha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, निषेध (negation particle)

• bhavet: would be
• bhavet: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √bhū (भू धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), तृतीयपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन, परस्मैपद: “would be/should be”

• saḥ: he
• saḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• atra: here; in this matter
• atra: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atra (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, देशवाचक (adverb of place)

• yadi: if
• yadi: Sambandha (Condition/शर्त)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yadi (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, शर्तसूचक (conditional particle: if)

• api: even though
• api: Sambandha (Concession/अपि)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, अपि-कार (concessive/also: even though)

• syāt: might be
• syāt: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √as (अस् धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), तृतीयपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद: “might be”

• ṣaḍ-aṅga-vit: knower of the six Vedāṅgas
• ṣaḍ-aṅga-vit: Karta (Subject complement/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ṣaṭ (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक) + aṅga (प्रातिपदिक) + vid (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समास (षडङ्गानि वेदाङ्गानि वेत्ति इति: knower of the six limbs/vedāṅgas)

• aparam: further
• aparam: Sambandha (Discourse marker/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: apara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययवत् प्रयोगः (discourse particle): “further/again”

• liṅga-bhedaḥ: difference of sect-marks; change of emblem
• liṅga-bhedaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: liṅga (प्रातिपदिक) + bheda (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (लिङ्गस्य भेदः = difference of marks/sectarian sign)

• te: of you; your
• te: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tvad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/6th), एकवचन (Singular)

• saṃjātaḥ: has arisen
• saṃjātaḥ: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sam-√jan (जन् धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त-क्त (past participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; अर्थः: “has arisen/occurred”

• kapaṭa-ādiṣu: in deceit and the like
• kapaṭa-ādiṣu: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kapaṭa (प्रातिपदिक) + ādi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter) (समूहवाचक), सप्तमी-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; तत्पुरुष (कपटं च आदयः च = “deceit etc.”; ādi-शब्देन समाहारः)

Speaker

Narrative voice (speaker not explicitly marked in this verse; likely continuation of admonitory discourse preceding the named speakers)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Durvāsā’s stern gaze addresses a learned but morally compromised brāhmaṇa; the contrast is shown between Vedic manuscripts/ṣaḍaṅga symbols and a shadowy aura of deceit around the listener.

Characters & Entities

• Vedāṅga

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Learning alone does not establish dharma; inner integrity is the real ‘mark’ of a brāhmaṇa.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No tīrtha is named in this verse; it functions as ethical instruction within the Tīrthamāhātmya narrative.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No specific rite is prescribed; the verse critiques hypocrisy and moral decline despite Vedic learning.