Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 61

Devanagari script

निर्विण्णोऽहं निजस्थानभ्रंशाद्द्विजवरोत्तम । वर्षेवर्षे च सम्प्राप्ते स्थानकस्य च्युतिर्भवेत्

Transliteration

nirviṇṇo'haṃ nijasthānabhraṃśāddvijavarottama | varṣevarṣe ca samprāpte sthānakasya cyutirbhavet

Translation

โอ พราหมณ์ผู้ประเสริฐยิ่ง ข้าพเจ้าอ่อนล้าเพราะถูกให้ตกจากฐานะของตนเอง; ครั้นปีแล้วปีเล่าเวียนมา ก็เหมือนมีความเสื่อมจากตำแหน่งยิ่งขึ้นทุกครา

Word by Word

• निर्विण्णः: disheartened; weary
• निर्विण्णः: Karta (Predicate adjective of अहम्)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: निर् + विद् (धातु) → निर्विण्ण (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकृदन्तः (क्त/क्तवतुसदृशः), पुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा (1st/nominative), एकवचनम्; विशेषणम्

• अहम्: I
• अहम्: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: प्रथमा (1st/nominative), एकवचनम्; सर्वनाम

• निजस्थानभ्रंशात्: from the loss of my own place
• निजस्थानभ्रंशात्: Hetu/Apadana (Cause/Source)
• Type: Noun
• Root: निज (प्रातिपदिक) + स्थान (प्रातिपदिक) + भ्रंश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गः, पञ्चमी (5th/ablative), एकवचनम्; बहुपद-तत्पुरुषः: 'निजस्य स्थानस्य भ्रंशः' तस्मात्

• द्विजवरोत्तम: O best of the best among twice-born
• द्विजवरोत्तम: Sambodhana (Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्विज (प्रातिपदिक) + वर (प्रातिपदिक) + उत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गः, सम्बोधन (8th/vocative), एकवचनम्; तत्पुरुष-श्रृङ्खला: 'द्विजानां वरः (श्रेष्ठः), तेषाम् उत्तमः'

• वर्षे: in a year
• वर्षे: Adhikarana (Location/Time)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वर्ष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गः, सप्तमी (7th/locative), एकवचनम्

• वर्षे: year after year
• वर्षे: Adhikarana (Time; distributive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वर्ष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गः, सप्तमी (7th/locative), एकवचनम्; पुनरुक्तिः (reduplication for distributive sense)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-अव्ययम् (conjunction)

• सम्प्राप्ते: when (it) has arrived
• सम्प्राप्ते: Adhikarana (Locative absolute)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सम् + प्र + आप् (धातु) → सम्प्राप्त (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकृदन्तः (क्त), नपुंसकलिङ्गे/पुंलिङ्गे सप्तमी (7th/locative), एकवचनम्; सति-सप्तमी (locative absolute)

• स्थानकस्य: of the place/seat
• स्थानकस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्थानक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गः, षष्ठी (6th/genitive), एकवचनम्

• च्युतिः: falling away; displacement
• च्युतिः: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: च्युति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गः, प्रथमा (1st/nominative), एकवचनम्

• भवेत्: would occur; may happen
• भवेत्: Kriya (Action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), प्रथमपुरुषः (3rd person), एकवचनम्; परस्मैपदम्

Speaker

Indra (Vāsava) addressing Bṛhaspati (dvijavarottama) (deduced)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A deva or exalted figure, downcast and anxious, speaks to a venerable brāhmaṇa-teacher in a quiet hermitage or celestial court; the mood is of decline and supplication.

Characters & Entities

• Indra (Vāsava)
• Bṛhaspati

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Even exalted status is unstable without dharma; repeated decline calls for disciplined devotion and righteous remedy.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Not named in this verse; the wider passage points toward Viṣṇu’s sphere (Kṣīroda) as the refuge.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None directly; it expresses the suffering that motivates the adoption of a prescribed vrata.