Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 41

Devanagari script

इतरेतरसंस्पर्धैः क्रियमाणा नृपोत्तमैः । ब्राह्मणैश्च सुरश्रेष्ठ स्वर्गलोकमभीप्सुभिः

Transliteration

itaretarasaṃspardhaiḥ kriyamāṇā nṛpottamaiḥ | brāhmaṇaiśca suraśreṣṭha svargalokamabhīpsubhiḥ

Translation

اے دیوتاؤں میں برتر! یہ مقدّس عمل بہترین راجاؤں اور برہمنوں کے ذریعے باہمی مسابقت کے ساتھ انجام پاتا ہے—وہ جو سُورگ لوک کے حصول کے مشتاق ہیں۔

Word by Word

• इतरेतर-संस्पर्धैः: by mutual rivalries
• इतरेतर-संस्पर्धैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: itara-itara (प्रातिपदिक) + saṃspardhā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष (इतरेतरस्य संस्पर्धा); स्त्रीलिङ्ग; तृतीया बहुवचन (Feminine; instrumental plural)

• क्रियमाणाः: being performed
• क्रियमाणाः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: √kṛ (कृ) (कृदन्त; कर्मणि वर्तमानकाले शानच्/मान)
• Form: वर्तमानकाले कर्मणि कृदन्त (passive present participle); पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा बहुवचन (Masculine; nominative plural)

• नृप-उत्तमैः: by excellent kings
• नृप-उत्तमैः: Kartr-karana (Agent in passive/कर्तृ-करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nṛpa (प्रातिपदिक) + uttama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय (उत्तमाः नृपाः); पुंलिङ्ग; तृतीया बहुवचन (Masculine; instrumental plural)

• ब्राह्मणैः: by Brahmins
• ब्राह्मणैः: Kartr-karana (Agent in passive/कर्तृ-करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brāhmaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; तृतीया बहुवचन (Masculine; instrumental plural)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयबोधक (conjunction)

• सुरश्रेष्ठ: O best of gods
• सुरश्रेष्ठ: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: suraśreṣṭha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय; पुंलिङ्ग; सम्बोधन एकवचन (Masculine; vocative singular)

• स्वर्ग-लोकम्: the heavenly world
• स्वर्ग-लोकम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: svarga (प्रातिपदिक) + loka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष (स्वर्गस्य लोकः); पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया एकवचन (Masculine; accusative singular)

• अभीप्सुभिः: by those desiring
• अभीप्सुभिः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: abhi-√āp (आप्) + ipsu (कृदन्त; इच्छार्थे ‘इप्सु’)
• Form: इच्छार्थक कृदन्त (desiderative/agentive: “desiring”); पुंलिङ्ग; तृतीया बहुवचन (Masculine; instrumental plural)

Speaker

Bṛhaspati (implied narration to Indra in this adhyāya’s dialogue context)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: surāśreṣṭha (addressed: ‘O best of the gods’)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A gathering of noble kings and learned brāhmaṇas near a sacred precinct; patrons comparing offerings, distributing gifts; priests officiating; an atmosphere of dignified rivalry directed toward ritual excellence.

Characters & Entities

• Indra
• Brāhmaṇa
• Kṣatriya (kings)
• Svarga

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pilgrimage and dharmic observances are pursued even by the highest social orders as a direct means to merit and higher worlds.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse speaks within the Nāgarakhaṇḍa Tīrthamāhātmya frame; the specific tīrtha is contextual to Adhyāya 27 rather than named in this single line.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No single rite is named here; it introduces a holy undertaking performed for attaining svarga, elaborated in the following verses.