Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 82

Devanagari script

महर्षिगणसंसिद्धो विद्वान्गांधर्ववेदवित् । वैरकेलिकलो विप्रो ब्राह्मः कलिरिवापरः

Transliteration

maharṣigaṇasaṃsiddho vidvāngāṃdharvavedavit | vairakelikalo vipro brāhmaḥ kalirivāparaḥ

Translation

他在大圣仙众中圆满成就，博学而通晓乾闼婆吠陀；那位婆罗门于游行间自带戏乐之姿，行止如第二个迦梨，迅疾而不可遏止。

Word by Word

• maharṣi-gaṇa-saṃsiddhaḥ: accomplished/recognized among the hosts of sages
• maharṣi-gaṇa-saṃsiddhaḥ: Visheshana (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: maharṣi (प्रातिपदिक) + gaṇa (प्रातिपदिक) + saṃsiddha (√sidh, क्त-कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष—‘perfected/approved by the groups of great sages’

• vidvān: a learned man
• vidvān: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: √vid (धातु) → vidvas (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: वर्तमानकृदन्त (शतृ/वस्-प्रत्यय), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; ‘knower, learned one’

• gāndharva-veda-vit: knower of the Gāndharva Veda (music)
• gāndharva-veda-vit: Visheshana (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gāndharva (प्रातिपदिक) + veda (प्रातिपदिक) + vit (√vid, कृत्)
• Form: कृत्-प्रत्ययान्त (वित्), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष—‘knower of the Gāndharva-veda’

• vaira-keli-kalaḥ: skilled in playful arts/sports
• vaira-keli-kalaḥ: Visheshana (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vaira (प्रातिपदिक) + keli (प्रातिपदिक) + kala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष—‘skilled in playful sport/arts’ (lexical compound)

• vipraḥ: a brāhmaṇa, sage
• vipraḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vipra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• brāhmaḥ: brahmic, like Brahmā
• brāhmaḥ: Visheshana (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: brāhma (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; ‘Brahmā-like / pertaining to Brahmā’

• kaliḥ: Kali (personified)
• kaliḥ: Upamana (Standard of comparison/उपमान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kali (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; here as upamāna

• iva: like
• iva: Upamana (Comparative marker/उपमान)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iva (अव्यय)
• Form: उपमानवाचक अव्यय (comparative particle)

• aparaḥ: another (one)
• aparaḥ: Visheshya (Predicate nominal/विधेय)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: apara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; predicate adjective—‘another’

Speaker

Sūta (descriptive narration)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Nārada, perfected among great seers and skilled in Gāndharva Veda, moves playfully from place to place—swift like a second Kali—his presence hard to restrain.

Characters & Entities

• Nārada
• Maharṣis
• Gāndharva Veda
• Kali (as simile)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Spiritual mastery includes both realization among sages and the power to move through worlds spreading sacred knowledge, especially through divine music.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific site is named; the verse characterizes Nārada, who typically catalyzes the revelation of a place’s māhātmya.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; the emphasis is on Nārada’s qualifications—learning, perfection, and sacred artistry.