Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 5

Devanagari script

को होता कश्च वाऽग्नीध्रः को ब्रह्मा तत्र संस्थितः । उद्गाता कः स्थितस्तत्र ह्याचार्यो यज्ञकर्मणि

Transliteration

ko hotā kaśca vā'gnīdhraḥ ko brahmā tatra saṃsthitaḥ | udgātā kaḥ sthitastatra hyācāryo yajñakarmaṇi

Translation

ที่นั่นผู้ใดเป็นโหตฤ และผู้ใดเป็นอัคนีธระ? ผู้ใดนั่งเป็นพรหมา (ปุโรหิตผู้กำกับ) ณ ที่นั้น? และผู้ใดยืนเป็นอุทคาตฤ—แท้จริงแล้วใครคืออาจารย์ในกิจแห่งยัญญะ?

Word by Word

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

• hotā: hotṛ priest
• hotā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: hotṛ (होतृ प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular

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

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

• vā: or
• vā: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vā (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya; disjunctive particle (विकल्प)

• agnīdhraḥ: agnīdhra priest
• agnīdhraḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: agnīdhra (अग्नीध्र प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular

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

• brahmā: brahmā priest (supervising priest)
• brahmā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brahman (ब्रह्मन् प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular

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

• saṃsthitaḥ: stationed/present
• saṃsthitaḥ: Karta (Subject-qualifier/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sam + sthā (स्था धातु) + kta (क्त)
• Form: Past passive participle, Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular; qualifying 'brahmā'

• udgātā: udgātṛ priest
• udgātā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: udgātṛ (उद्गातृ प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular

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

• sthitaḥ: present
• sthitaḥ: Karta (Subject-qualifier/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sthā (स्था धातु) + kta (क्त)
• Form: Past passive participle, Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular; qualifying 'udgātā'

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

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

• ācāryaḥ: teacher/preceptor
• ācāryaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ācārya (आचार्य प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular

• yajñakarmaṇi: in the sacrificial rite
• yajñakarmaṇi: Adhikarana (Domain/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yajña (यज्ञ) + karman (कर्मन्)
• Form: Tatpuruṣa compound; Neuter, Locative (7th/सप्तमी), Singular

Speaker

Sages (Ṛṣis) questioning Sūta

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: dvijapuṅgava-s / brāhmaṇa audience

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A catalog-like inquiry naming the key priestly offices, as if assembling a sacred roster; the scene evokes a grand yajña with multiple stations around the fire-altar.

Characters & Entities

• Hotṛ
• Agnīdhra
• Brahmā (priest)
• Udgātṛ
• Ācārya
• Yajña

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred acts gain fullness when performed with right order, qualified guides, and faithful observance of established ritual roles.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

This verse supports the broader tīrtha-māhātmya account in Adhyāya 180; the tīrtha is contextual to the chapter rather than specified here.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

It emphasizes the complete Vedic setup of a yajña—Hotṛ, Agnīdhra, Brahmā, Udgātṛ, and an ācārya guiding the rite.