Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 112

Devanagari script

विश्वामित्र उवाच । अत्र ते कीर्तयिष्यामि पूर्ववृत्तकथांतरम् । भर्तृयजेन ये त्यक्ताः सर्वेन्ये ब्राह्मणोत्तमाः

Transliteration

viśvāmitra uvāca | atra te kīrtayiṣyāmi pūrvavṛttakathāṃtaram | bhartṛyajena ye tyaktāḥ sarvenye brāhmaṇottamāḥ

Translation

วิศวามิตรกล่าวว่า: ณ ที่นี้เราจักเล่าเรื่องราวอีกตอนหนึ่งแห่งเหตุการณ์ก่อนกาล ผู้ที่ถูกพิธีภฤตฤ-ยัชญะทอดทิ้ง—ขณะที่ผู้อื่นล้วนเป็นพราหมณ์ผู้ประเสริฐ—(จงฟังเถิด)

Word by Word

• विश्वामित्रः: Viśvāmitra
• विश्वामित्रः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विश्वामित्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• अत्र: here
• अत्र: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (adverb of place)

• ते: to you
• ते: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: चतुर्थी-विभक्ति, एकवचन (enclitic)

• कीर्तयिष्यामि: I shall recount
• कीर्तयिष्यामि: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √कीर्तय् (धातु, causative of √कीर्त्/√कृत्?; denominative from कीर्ति)
• Form: लृट्-लकार (भविष्यत्/Future), उत्तमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• पूर्व-वृत्त-कथा-अन्तरम्: another account of a past event-story
• पूर्व-वृत्त-कथा-अन्तरम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पूर्व (प्रातिपदिक) + वृत्त (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक, √वृत्, क्त) + कथा (प्रातिपदिक) + अन्तर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; बहुपद-तत्पुरुष-समास: ‘पूर्ववृत्तस्य कथायाः अन्तरम्’ = an episode/other account of a past event-story

• भर्तृ-यजेन: by (the rite/sacrifice of) Bhartṛyaja
• भर्तृ-यजेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भर्तृ (प्रातिपदिक) + यज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समास (षष्ठी: भर्तुः यजः/यजनः)

• ये: who (those who)
• ये: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• त्यक्ताः: abandoned, forsaken
• त्यक्ताः: Karta (Predicate qualifier/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: √त्यज् (धातु) → त्यक्त (कृदन्त, क्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (क्त), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; ‘abandoned’

• सर्वे: all
• सर्वे: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• अन्ये: other
• अन्ये: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अन्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• ब्राह्मण-उत्तमाः: excellent brāhmaṇas
• ब्राह्मण-उत्तमाः: Karta (Subject complement/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्राह्मण (प्रातिपदिक) + उत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; कर्मधारय-समास: ‘उत्तमाः ब्राह्मणाः’

Speaker

Viśvāmitra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: The King

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Viśvāmitra begins recounting an earlier incident: a yajña where certain persons were ‘cast aside’, setting a moral tension around ritual purity and justice.

Characters & Entities

• Viśvāmitra
• Bhartṛ-yajña
• Brāhmaṇas

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purāṇic teaching often clarifies present rules through past narratives, linking ritual outcomes to prior causes.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse introduces a backstory within Tīrthamāhātmya; the tīrtha is not named in this line.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

It references the Bhartṛ-yajña’s acceptance/rejection, indicating ritual inclusion criteria as the topic.