Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 8

Devanagari script

कर्मांतरेषु विप्राणां स सर्वेषां द्विजोत्तमाः । कथयामास यद्वृत्तं बाल्यात्प्रभृति कृत्स्नशः

Transliteration

karmāṃtareṣu viprāṇāṃ sa sarveṣāṃ dvijottamāḥ | kathayāmāsa yadvṛttaṃ bālyātprabhṛti kṛtsnaśaḥ

Translation

当诸婆罗门各自忙于其仪轨之时，那位二生中最胜者详尽叙述了自幼年以来所发生的一切。

Word by Word

• कर्म: of rites/acts
• कर्म: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कर्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), बहुवचन (समासपूर्वपदत्वे)

• अन्तरेषु: in the intervals
• अन्तरेषु: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अन्तर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), बहुवचन

• विप्राणाम्: of the brahmins
• विप्राणाम्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विप्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), बहुवचन

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• सर्वेषाम्: of all
• सर्वेषाम्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), बहुवचन

• द्विजोत्तमः: best of the twice-born
• द्विजोत्तमः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्विज (प्रातिपदिक) + उत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (द्विजानाम् उत्तमः)

• कथयामास: told, narrated
• कथयामास: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कथय् (णिजन्त √कथ्) (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (परोक्षभूत/परिपूर्णभूत), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• यत्: which
• यत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; सम्बन्धवाचक सर्वनाम

• वृत्तम्: the account, what happened
• वृत्तम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वृत्त (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• बाल्यात्: from childhood
• बाल्यात्: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: बाल्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th), एकवचन

• प्रभृति: onwards, beginning from
• प्रभृति: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: प्रभृति (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (आरम्भबोधक; ‘starting from’)

• कृत्स्नशः: completely, in full detail
• कृत्स्नशः: Prakara (Manner/प्रकार)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: कृत्स्नशस् (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रकारवाचक अव्यय (adverb)

Speaker

Narrator (contextual purāṇic narration; exact speaker not explicit in snippet)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Rows of priests performing their respective rites around a yajña-fire; at the center, the jñānī calmly recounts a long life-story, listeners attentive, palm-leaf manuscripts and ritual implements nearby.

Characters & Entities

• vipra
• dvija

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred knowledge is transmitted in the midst of dharma—ritual life and truthful narration together become vehicles for instruction.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse is part of a tīrtha-glorifying section, but this particular line does not identify a named site.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

It alludes generally to brāhmaṇas performing karma (rites), without specifying a particular vrata, snāna, or dāna.