Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 22

Devanagari script

सोऽहं राजा न सर्वज्ञो यो यच्छामि द्विजोत्तमाः । उपदेशं हि युष्मभ्यं सर्वज्ञेभ्यो विचक्षणाः

Transliteration

so'haṃ rājā na sarvajño yo yacchāmi dvijottamāḥ | upadeśaṃ hi yuṣmabhyaṃ sarvajñebhyo vicakṣaṇāḥ

Translation

โอ้ทวิชผู้ประเสริฐทั้งหลาย เราผู้เป็นพระราชามิใช่ผู้รู้ทั่วสิ้น; กระนั้นเรายังมอบโอวาทแก่ท่าน—ทั้งที่ท่านมีปัญญา ประหนึ่งผู้รู้ทุกประการ

Word by Word

• सः: he/that (I)
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• अहम्: I
• अहम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• राजा: king
• राजा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: राजन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; अहम् इत्यस्य विशेष्य/अपादान-भावे (अहं राजा)

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Particle/अव्यय-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-अव्यय

• सर्वज्ञः: omniscient
• सर्वज्ञः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्वज्ञ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (अहम् इति)

• यः: who
• यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सम्बन्ध-सर्वनाम (relative)

• यच्छामि: I give
• यच्छामि: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: यम् (धातु; यच्छति)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), उत्तम-पुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• द्विजोत्तमाः: O best of the twice-born
• द्विजोत्तमाः: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्विज (प्रातिपदिक) + उत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः/कर्मधारय-प्रायः (द्विजेषु उत्तमाः)

• उपदेशम्: instruction
• उपदेशम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: उपदेश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• हि: indeed/for
• हि: Sambandha (Particle/अव्यय-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (emphatic/causal particle)

• युष्मभ्यम्: to you
• युष्मभ्यम्: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: चतुर्थी-विभक्ति (सम्प्रदान), बहुवचन; सर्वनाम

• सर्वज्ञेभ्यः: from the omniscient (ones)
• सर्वज्ञेभ्यः: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्वज्ञ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (अपादान), बहुवचन

• विचक्षणाः: discerning/wise
• विचक्षणाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: विचक्षण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; विशेषण (द्विजोत्तमाः/युष्मदर्थे)

Speaker

King

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Brāhmaṇas (dvijottamāḥ)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A king seated modestly in a sabhā or āśrama setting, hands joined, addressing a circle of brāhmaṇas; the mood is calm, scholarly, and reverential.

Characters & Entities

• King
• Dvijottamas (Brāhmaṇas)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Even rulers should speak with humility; wisdom is honored, and instruction is offered as service, not as ego.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Not specified in this verse; it is part of the broader Tīrthamāhātmya dialogue.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it establishes the speaker’s humility and the dialogic setting for teaching.