Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 15

Devanagari script

मांडव्यानां त्रिविंशच्च बह्वृचानां त्रिविंशतिः । सांकृत्यानां विशिष्टानां पृथक्त्वेन दशैव तु

Transliteration

māṃḍavyānāṃ triviṃśacca bahvṛcānāṃ triviṃśatiḥ | sāṃkṛtyānāṃ viśiṣṭānāṃ pṛthaktvena daśaiva tu

Translation

ฝ่ายวงศ์มาณฑวยะกล่าวว่ามียี่สิบสาม; ฝ่ายพหฺวฤจ (ผู้สืบสายฤคเวท) มียี่สิบ; และฝ่ายสางกฤตยะผู้ประเสริฐ เมื่อนับแยกต่างหาก มีสิบแท้

Word by Word

• माण्डव्यानाम्: of the Māṇḍavyas
• माण्डव्यानाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: माण्डव्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), बहुवचन

• त्रिविंशत्: thirty
• त्रिविंशत्: Visheshya (Predicate count/संख्या-वाचक)
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्रिविंशति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (संख्याशब्दः), प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; संख्या

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Connector/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• बह्वृचानाम्: of the Bahvṛcas
• बह्वृचानाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: बह्वृच् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), बहुवचन

• त्रिविंशतिः: thirty
• त्रिविंशतिः: Visheshya (Predicate count/संख्या-वाचक)
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्रिविंशति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (संख्याशब्दः), प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; संख्या

• सांकृत्यानाम्: of the Sāṃkṛtyas
• सांकृत्यानाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सांकृत्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), बहुवचन

• विशिष्टानाम्: of the distinguished (ones)
• विशिष्टानाम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: विशिष्ट (प्रातिपदिक; √शिष्)
• Form: कृदन्त-विशेषण (क्त/PPP), पुल्लिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), बहुवचन; ‘विशिष्ट’ = distinguished

• पृथक्त्वेन: separately, individually
• पृथक्त्वेन: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial instrument/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पृथक्त्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), एकवचन; भाववाचक—‘by separation/individually’

• दश: ten
• दश: Visheshya (Predicate count/संख्या-वाचक)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दशन्/दश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (संख्याशब्दः), प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; संख्या

• एव: indeed/only
• एव: Nipata (Emphasis/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारणार्थक-अव्यय (particle of emphasis)

• तु: but/and indeed
• तु: Nipata (Discourse particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: विरोध/अन्वयार्थक-अव्यय (contrastive particle)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced from Nāgarakhaṇḍa Tīrthamāhātmya narrative style)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A tīrtha-side ‘Veda-sabhā’: three clusters—Māṇḍavya elders, Bahvṛca chanters with Ṛgvedic cadence, and Sāṃkṛtya teachers—each with distinct manuscript bundles; pilgrims offer water and cloth-dāna.

Characters & Entities

• Māṇḍavya
• Bahvṛca
• Sāṃkṛtya

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred places are upheld by dharma through honoring learned lineages; reverence to qualified Brahmins is presented as a source of puṇya.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse occurs within the Nāgarakhaṇḍa’s Tīrthamāhātmya context; the snippet itself focuses on the people to be honored rather than naming the Tīrtha explicitly.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

An implicit prescription: to honor (satkāra) distinct Brahmin groups/lineages present at the sacred place.