Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 41

Devanagari script

इतरेतरसंस्पर्धैः क्रियमाणा नृपोत्तमैः । ब्राह्मणैश्च सुरश्रेष्ठ स्वर्गलोकमभीप्सुभिः

Transliteration

itaretarasaṃspardhaiḥ kriyamāṇā nṛpottamaiḥ | brāhmaṇaiśca suraśreṣṭha svargalokamabhīpsubhiḥ

Translation

Ô bậc tối thượng giữa chư thiên, việc lành thiêng liêng này được các minh vương và cả các bà-la-môn cùng thực hiện trong sự ganh đua cao thượng—những người khao khát đạt đến cõi trời.

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.