Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 7

Devanagari script

पिता तस्य पुरा विप्रा जमदग्निर्निपातितः । क्षत्रियेण स्वधर्मस्थो विना दोषं द्विजोत्तमाः

Transliteration

pitā tasya purā viprā jamadagnirnipātitaḥ | kṣatriyeṇa svadharmastho vinā doṣaṃ dvijottamāḥ

Translation

ดูก่อนพราหมณ์ทั้งหลาย ในกาลก่อน บิดาของเขา คือชามทัคนี ถูกกษัตริย์วรรณะกษัตริย์ (กษัตริยะ) ฆ่าเสีย ทั้งที่ทวิชผู้ประเสริฐนั้นตั้งมั่นในธรรมของตนและไร้โทษ

Word by Word

• पिता: father
• पिता: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पितृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

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

• पुरा: formerly/once
• पुरा: Kala (Time/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुरा (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक अव्यय (adverb of time)

• विप्राः: O brāhmaṇas
• विप्राः: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विप्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन/प्रथमा, बहुवचन; अत्र सम्बोधन (address)

• जमदग्निः: Jamadagni
• जमदग्निः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जमदग्नि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• निपातितः: was struck down/killed
• निपातितः: Kriya (Predicative/क्रिया)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: नि + पत् (धातु) → निपातित (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (क्त), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्मणि—‘हतः/पातितः’

• क्षत्रियेण: by a kṣatriya
• क्षत्रियेण: Karana (Agent-in-passive/Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्षत्रिय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन

• स्वधर्मस्थः: abiding in his own duty
• स्वधर्मस्थः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्व + धर्म + स्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (स्वधर्मे स्थितः)

• विना: without
• विना: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: विना (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध/वियोगार्थक अव्यय (preposition-like indeclinable)

• दोषम्: fault
• दोषम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दोष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

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

Speaker

Sūta

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: brāhmaṇa sages

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Tragic flashback: Jamadagni, serene and ascetic, struck down by a Kṣatriya; the āśrama setting with sacrificial fire and deer; witnesses (perhaps Reṇukā/disciples) in grief; Paraśurāma’s looming silhouette implied.

Characters & Entities

• Jamadagni
• Kṣatriya
• Jāmadagnya (implied)
• Brāhmaṇas

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Injustice against the faultless becomes the seed of later vows and acts; Purāṇas frame history through dharma and adharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse provides backstory within the Rāmahrada episode rather than describing a separate tīrtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it narrates the cause (Jamadagni’s slaying) that led to later actions.