Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 4

Devanagari script

का चैव दक्षिणा दत्ता तेन तेषां द्विजन्मनाम् । कोऽध्वर्युर्विहितस्तत्र येन तद्यजनं कृतम्

Transliteration

kā caiva dakṣiṇā dattā tena teṣāṃ dvijanmanām | ko'dhvaryurvihitastatra yena tadyajanaṃ kṛtam

Translation

แล้วท่านได้ถวายทักษิณา (ค่าบูชายัญ) อะไรแก่พราหมณ์ผู้เกิดสองครั้งเหล่านั้น? และที่นั่นผู้ใดได้รับแต่งตั้งเป็นอัธวรรยุ ผู้ซึ่งทำให้ยัญญะนั้นสำเร็จตามพิธี?

Word by Word

• kā: what (f.)?
• kā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kim (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Interrogative pronoun, Feminine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya; conjunction (समुच्चय)

• eva: indeed
• eva: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya; emphatic particle

• dakṣiṇā: sacrificial fee/gift
• dakṣiṇā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dakṣiṇā (दक्षिणा प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular

• dattā: given
• dattā: Karta (Predicate/विधेय)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dā (दा धातु) + kta (क्त)
• Form: Past passive participle, Feminine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular; agreeing with 'dakṣiṇā'

• tena: by him
• tena: Karana (Agent-instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Pronoun, Masculine/Neuter, Instrumental (3rd/तृतीया), Singular

• teṣām: of them
• teṣām: Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Pronoun, Masculine, Genitive (6th/षष्ठी), Plural

• dvijanmanām: of the twice-born (Brahmins)
• dvijanmanām: Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dvijanman (द्विजन्मन् प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Bahuvrīhi compound (dvija+janman: ‘having second birth’); Masculine, Genitive (6th/षष्ठी), Plural; in apposition to 'teṣām'

• kaḥ: who?
• kaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kim (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Interrogative pronoun, Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular

• adhvaryuḥ: the adhvaryu priest
• adhvaryuḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: adhvaryu (अध्वर्यु प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular

• vihitaḥ: appointed/assigned
• vihitaḥ: Karta (Subject-qualifier/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vi + dhā (धा धातु) + kta (क्त)
• Form: Past passive participle, Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular; qualifying 'adhvaryuḥ'

• tatra: there
• tatra: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatra (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya; adverb of place

• yena: by whom
• yena: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (यद् सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Relative pronoun, Masculine/Neuter, Instrumental (3rd/तृतीया), Singular

• tat: that
• tat: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Pronoun used adjectivally, Neuter, Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular; qualifying 'yajanam'

• yajanam: sacrifice/ritual performance
• yajanam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yajana (यजन प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular

• kṛtam: performed
• kṛtam: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया-भाव)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kṛ (कृ धातु) + kta (क्त)
• Form: Past passive participle, Neuter, Nominative/Accusative Singular; here predicate with 'yajanam' (object understood as performed)

Speaker

Sages (Ṛṣis) questioning Sūta

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: dvijapuṅgava-s / brāhmaṇa audience

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The questioners press for concrete details: what dakṣiṇā was given and who served as Adhvaryu, emphasizing the administrative-ritual backbone of the sacrifice.

Characters & Entities

• Adhvaryu
• Dvija (Brāhmaṇas)
• Dakṣiṇā
• Yajña

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

True yajña is upheld by dharma: proper officiants and rightful dakṣiṇā ensure the rite becomes meritorious and auspicious.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse sits within the Nāgara Khaṇḍa’s Tīrthamāhātmya framework; the specific tīrtha is part of the surrounding Adhyāya 180 narrative rather than named in this single line.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

It points to two essentials of ritual correctness: giving dakṣiṇā to the twice-born priests and appointing the Adhvaryu to conduct the yajña.