Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 102

Devanagari script

सूत उवाच । तस्य तद्वचनं श्रुत्वा दत्तं तेन महात्मना । ततः कृष्णाजिनं भक्त्या ब्राह्मणायाहिताग्नये

Transliteration

sūta uvāca | tasya tadvacanaṃ śrutvā dattaṃ tena mahātmanā | tataḥ kṛṣṇājinaṃ bhaktyā brāhmaṇāyāhitāgnaye

Translation

สูตกล่าวว่า: ครั้นได้ฟังถ้อยคำนั้น มหาบุรุษผู้นั้นก็กระทำทานตามที่กล่าวไว้ แล้วด้วยศรัทธาภักดีจึงถวายหนังละมั่งดำแก่พราหมณ์ผู้รักษาไฟศักดิ์สิทธิ์

Word by Word

• सूतः: Sūta
• सूतः: Karta (Speaker/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सूत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

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

• तस्य: of him
• तस्य: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-विभक्ति (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• तत्: that
• तत्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; विशेषण (वचनम्)

• वचनम्: statement/command
• वचनम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वचन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• श्रुत्वा: having heard
• श्रुत्वा: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Verb
• Root: श्रु (धातु) + त्वा (प्रत्यय)
• Form: श्रु-धातोः त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund)

• दत्तम्: was given
• दत्तम्: Kriya (Action-result/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दा (धातु) + क्त (प्रत्यय)
• Form: दा-धातोः क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (past passive participle); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; कर्मणि-प्रयोगे ‘(कृष्णाजिनं) दत्तम्’

• तेन: by him
• तेन: Karta (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तृतीया-विभक्ति (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन

• महात्मना: by the great-souled one
• महात्मना: Karta (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महात्मन् (प्रातिपदिक; महा + आत्मन्)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन; समासः—कर्मधारय (महान् आत्मा यस्य)

• ततः: then
• ततः: Sambandha (Sequence/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: क्रम/अनन्तर-वाचक अव्यय (then/thereafter)

• कृष्णाजिनम्: black antelope-skin
• कृष्णाजिनम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कृष्णाजिन (प्रातिपदिक; कृष्ण + अजिन)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; समासः—कर्मधारय

• भक्त्या: with devotion
• भक्त्या: Karana (Means/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भक्ति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन

• ब्राह्मणाय: to a Brahmin
• ब्राह्मणाय: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्राह्मण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी-विभक्ति (4th/Dative), एकवचन

• आहिताग्नये: to one who has established the sacred fires
• आहिताग्नये: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आहिताग्नि (प्रातिपदिक; आहित + अग्नि)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी-विभक्ति (4th/Dative), एकवचन; समासः—कर्मधारय (आहितः अग्निः यस्य)

Speaker

Sūta

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The donor presents a folded black antelope-skin to an āhitāgni brāhmaṇa near a small sacred-fire altar; the brāhmaṇa’s fires glow, indicating continuity of agnihotra.

Characters & Entities

• Sūta
• kṛṣṇājina
• Brāhmaṇa
• āhitāgni

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharmic giving becomes most potent when done with devotion and offered to a worthy recipient who lives a disciplined sacred life.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The act is narrated within the Nāgarakhaṇḍa tīrtha setting; the surrounding māhātmya frames such gifts as especially meritorious at that sacred locale.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Carrying out dāna as instructed: giving kṛṣṇājina to an āhitāgni Brāhmaṇa (a qualified ritual householder maintaining sacred fires).