Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 7

Devanagari script

भर्तृयज्ञ उवाच । कार्या पलशतेनोर्वी वृत्ताकारा नृपोत्तम । तदर्धेनाथवा शक्त्या पंचविंशत्पलात्मिका

Transliteration

bhartṛyajña uvāca | kāryā palaśatenorvī vṛttākārā nṛpottama | tadardhenāthavā śaktyā paṃcaviṃśatpalātmikā

Translation

ภรรตฤยัชญะกล่าวว่า: “โอ้ราชาผู้ประเสริฐ พึงทำ ‘ปฐพี’ สำหรับทานให้เป็นรูปวงกลม หนักหนึ่งร้อยปละ; หรือครึ่งหนึ่ง; หรือแล้วแต่กำลัง เป็นยี่สิบห้าปละ”

Word by Word

• भर्तृयज्ञः: Bhartṛyajña (name)
• भर्तृयज्ञः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भर्तृयज्ञ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (कर्तरि/1st case), एकवचन; समासः—षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (भर्तुः यज्ञः)

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (परोक्शभूत/perfect), प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• कार्या: to be made
• कार्या: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कृ (धातु) + यत् (कृत् प्रत्यय) → कार्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विधेय-विशेषण (to be made)

• पलशतेन: with a hundred palas (as measure/weight)
• पलशतेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पलशत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (करण/3rd case), एकवचन; द्विगु-समासः (शतं पलानाम्)

• उर्वी: the earth/ground (a disk/plate here)
• उर्वी: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: उर्वी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• वृत्ताकारा: circular in shape
• वृत्ताकारा: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वृत्त (प्रातिपदिक) + आकार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्मधारय-समासः (वृत्तः आकारः यस्याः सा)

• नृपोत्तम: O best of kings
• नृपोत्तम: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नृप (प्रातिपदिक) + उत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (vocative), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (नृपाणाम् उत्तमः)

• तदर्धेन: with half of that
• तदर्धेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + अर्ध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (तस्य अर्धम्)

• अथवा: or
• अथवा: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अथवा (अव्यय)
• Form: विकल्पार्थक-अव्यय (disjunctive particle)

• शक्त्या: according to ability/with capacity
• शक्त्या: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शक्ति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• पंचविंशत्पलात्मिका: having the measure of twenty-five palas
• पंचविंशत्पलात्मिका: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पंचविंशत् (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक) + पल (प्रातिपदिक) + आत्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; बहुव्रीहि (पंचविंशत्पलः आत्मा/परिमाणं यस्याः सा)

Speaker

Bhartṛyajña

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Gautameśvara (contextual)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Ṛṣis/assembly (contextual)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A sage demonstrates a circular earth-model and indicates weights (100, 50, 25 palas), with scales and ritual vessels laid out in a mandapa.

Characters & Entities

• Bhartṛyajña

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dāna is dharmic when it is properly formed and proportionate—generosity should be real, yet aligned with one’s means.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The rite is taught within the Gautameśvara tīrtha narrative frame of the Nāgarakhaṇḍa’s Tīrthamāhātmya.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A circular earth-model of specified weight: ideally 100 palas, or 50, or 25 palas depending on ability.