Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 140

Devanagari script

मुनिरुवाच । संसारभ्रमणं नारी प्रथमेऽपि समागमे । वह्निप्रदक्षिणान्यायव्याजेनैव प्रदर्शयेत्

Transliteration

muniruvāca | saṃsārabhramaṇaṃ nārī prathame'pi samāgame | vahnipradakṣiṇānyāyavyājenaiva pradarśayet

Translation

قال الحكيم: «في اللقاء الأول نفسه تُري المرأةُ المرءَ دورانَ السَّمسارا بعينه—بحجّةِ قاعدةِ الطواف حول النار المقدّسة».

Word by Word

• मुनिः: the sage
• मुनिः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मुनि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular), परस्मैपद

• संसारभ्रमणम्: wandering in saṃsāra
• संसारभ्रमणम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: संसार (प्रातिपदिक) + भ्रमण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular)

• नारी: a woman
• नारी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नारी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• प्रथमे: in the first
• प्रथमे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्रथम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन (Singular)

• अपि: even/also
• अपि: Sambandha (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: सम्भावना/अपि-कारक अव्यय (particle: even/also)

• समागमे: at the meeting/union
• समागमे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: समागम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन (Singular)

• वह्निप्रदक्षिणान्यायव्याजेन: by the pretext of the rule of fire-circumambulation
• वह्निप्रदक्षिणान्यायव्याजेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वह्नि (प्रातिपदिक) + प्रदक्षिणा (प्रातिपदिक) + न्याय (प्रातिपदिक) + व्याज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), एकवचन (Singular)

• एव: indeed/just
• एव: Sambandha (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारण-अव्यय (emphatic particle)

• प्रदर्शयेत्: should show/indicate
• प्रदर्शयेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र + दृश् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular), परस्मैपद

Speaker

Muni (sage)

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Kanyā

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The muni points toward the circling couple around Agni, but his expression is grave; behind them a faint symbolic wheel/cycle motif suggests saṃsāra.

Characters & Entities

• Saṃsāra
• Vahni (sacred fire)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Ritual acts can be read as symbols: the circular motion around fire hints at the cyclical nature of saṃsāra and the need for discernment.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No tīrtha is directly mentioned in this verse; it functions as a moral-philosophical remark within the māhātmya narrative.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

The customary circumambulation of the sacred fire (agni/vahni-pradakṣiṇā) in marriage.