Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 4

Devanagari script

तस्माद्यदि न मां यूयं याजयिष्यथ सांप्रतम् । परित्यज्य करिष्यामि शीघ्रमन्यं पुरोहितम्

Transliteration

tasmādyadi na māṃ yūyaṃ yājayiṣyatha sāṃpratam | parityajya kariṣyāmi śīghramanyaṃ purohitam

Translation

“پس اگر تم ابھی میرے یَجْن کی رسم ادا نہ کراؤ گے تو میں تمہیں چھوڑ کر جلد ہی کسی اور پُروہِت کو مقرر کر لوں گا۔”

Word by Word

• तस्मात्: therefore
• तस्मात्: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तस्मात् इति अव्ययीभाववत् निपातप्रयोग; हेत्वर्थक (therefore/from that)

• यदि: if
• यदि: Condition (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यदि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; शर्तवाचक (conditional particle: if)

• न: not
• न: Negation (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निषेध (negation)

• माम्: me
• माम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• यूयम्: you (pl.)
• यूयम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; सर्वनाम

• याजयिष्यथ: you will cause (me) to perform sacrifice / officiate
• याजयिष्यथ: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: यज् (धातु) [णिच् causative: याजय-]
• Form: लृट्-लकार (Simple Future), मध्यम-पुरुष (2nd person), बहुवचन, परस्मैपद; णिच्-प्रयोग (causative: ‘make perform sacrifice’)

• सांप्रतम्: now
• सांप्रतम्: Kriya-vishesana (Temporal)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सांप्रतम् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक (at present/now)

• परित्यज्य: having abandoned
• परित्यज्य: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: परि-त्यज् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (Gerund), ‘having abandoned’

• करिष्यामि: I will make/appoint
• करिष्यामि: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: लृट्-लकार (Simple Future), उत्तम-पुरुष (1st person), एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• शीघ्रम्: quickly
• शीघ्रम्: Kriya-vishesana (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: शीघ्रम् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रियाविशेषण (quickly)

• अन्यम्: another
• अन्यम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अन्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषण

• पुरोहितम्: priest
• पुरोहितम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुरोहित (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

Speaker

King (narādhipaḥ)

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Śaunaka and the Naimiṣāraṇya sages (implied)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The king, stern and impatient, speaks to the sages; one hand indicates readiness for sacrifice (yajña-vedi in background), the other gestures dismissal; sages remain composed, weighing dharma.

Characters & Entities

• King
• purohita (priest)
• yajña (sacrifice)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Religious power used as coercion violates dharma; sacred rites require reverence, not threats.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No site is named in this verse; it is part of the narrative leading into the tīrtha’s moral teaching.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A yajña requiring officiating priests (ṛtviks/purohita) is referenced, but the rite is not specified.