Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 30

Devanagari script

अस्माकं त्वं हितार्थाय यत्रेष्टं तत्र गम्यताम् । उस्रा वेदेति मंत्रेण समुच्चार्य ततः परम् । ब्राह्मणेभ्यः प्रदातव्या संविभज्य नराधिप

Transliteration

asmākaṃ tvaṃ hitārthāya yatreṣṭaṃ tatra gamyatām | usrā vedeti maṃtreṇa samuccārya tataḥ param | brāhmaṇebhyaḥ pradātavyā saṃvibhajya narādhipa

Translation

“Vì lợi ích của chúng con, xin Ngài hãy đi đến nơi nào Ngài ưa muốn.” Rồi tụng thần chú mở đầu “usrā vede…”, sau đó hãy chia phần lễ vật mà bố thí cho các bà-la-môn, hỡi bậc chúa của loài người.

Word by Word

• asmākam: of us
• asmākam: Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (6th/सम्बन्ध), बहुवचन; सर्वनाम — “of us/our”

• tvam: you
• tvam: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yusmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: प्रथमा (1st/कर्ता), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• hita-arthāya: for (our) welfare
• hita-arthāya: Sampradāna (Purpose/Beneficiary)
• Type: Noun
• Root: hita (प्रातिपदिक) + artha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; चतुर्थी (4th/सम्प्रदान), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः—“हितस्य अर्थाय” (for the sake of welfare)

• yatra: where
• yatra: Deśa (Locative sense)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yatra (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक सम्बन्धबोधक (relative adverb: “where”)

• iṣṭam: desired
• iṣṭam: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: iṣṭa (प्रातिपदिक; √iṣ/√yaj-सम्बद्ध ‘इष्ट’ = desired)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषण—(यत्र) इष्टम् (where it is desired)

• tatra: there
• tatra: Deśa (Locative sense)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatra (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक (correlative adverb: “there”)

• gamyatām: let (her) go
• gamyatām: Kriyā (Predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √gam (गम्)
• Form: लोट् (imperative); प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद; कर्मणि प्रयोग (passive imperative) — “let (her/it) be gone”

• usrā: usrā (a mantra-word)
• usrā: Karma (Quoted mantra element)
• Type: Noun
• Root: usrā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा, एकवचन; मन्त्रपद (mantric word)

• veda: veda (a mantra-word)
• veda: Karma (Quoted mantra element)
• Type: Noun
• Root: veda (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा, एकवचन; मन्त्रपद (mantric word)

• iti: thus
• iti: Vākyaparisaṃkhyāna (Quotation marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iti (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; इति-प्रयोग (quotative particle)

• mantreṇa: with the mantra
• mantreṇa: Karaṇa (Instrument)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mantra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; तृतीया, एकवचन

• samuccārya: having recited
• samuccārya: Pūrvakāla-kriyā (Prior action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sam-ud-√car (चर्) + ल्यप् (क्त्वा-प्रत्यय)
• Form: कृदन्त; ल्यप्/क्त्वान्त अव्ययभाव — “having recited together/fully”

• tataḥ: then
• tataḥ: Kāla/Anantara (Temporal)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tataḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रमवाचक (thereafter)

• param: afterwards
• param: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: para (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययवत् प्रयोग; क्रियाविशेषण (adverb: “afterwards/further”)

• brāhmaṇebhyaḥ: to the brāhmaṇas
• brāhmaṇebhyaḥ: Sampradāna (Recipient)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brāhmaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; चतुर्थी (4th/सम्प्रदान), बहुवचन

• pradātavyā: should be given
• pradātavyā: Kriyā (Obligation)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra-√dā (दा) + तव्यत् (तव्य)
• Form: कृदन्त; तव्यत्-प्रत्ययान्त (gerundive/future passive participle); स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — “to be given” (agreeing with an implied feminine noun, e.g., pṛthivī/dakṣiṇā)

• saṃvibhajya: having apportioned
• saṃvibhajya: Pūrvakāla-kriyā (Prior action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sam-vi-√bhaj (भज्) + ल्यप् (क्त्वा-प्रत्यय)
• Form: कृदन्त; ल्यप्/क्त्वान्त अव्ययभाव — “having distributed/divided”

• narādhipa: O ruler of men
• narādhipa: Sambodhana (Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nara (प्रातिपदिक) + adhipa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; सम्बोधन, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः—“नराणाम् अधिपः”

Speaker

Unknown (ritual instruction; includes a dismissal formula and Vedic-mantra incipit)

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: narādhipa/pārthiva (king)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A king, having completed a solemn donation rite, recites a Vedic mantra while attendants bring portions of the offering; disciplined brāhmaṇas sit in rows receiving distributed gifts; the atmosphere is orderly and auspicious.

Characters & Entities

• Brāhmaṇas

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The fruit of ritual worship culminates in generosity—sharing the consecrated offering with worthy recipients as an act of dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse is part of the broader tīrtha-mahātmya setting, but it does not name a particular location.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Recite a dismissal formula, chant the mantra beginning “usrā vede…”, and then distribute the offering as dāna to brāhmaṇas.