Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 34

Devanagari script

चत्वार उत्तमाः प्रोक्ता विवाहा मुनिसत्तम । शेषाः सर्वप्रकृतिषु कथिताश्च पुराविदैः

Transliteration

catvāra uttamāḥ proktā vivāhā munisattama | śeṣāḥ sarvaprakṛtiṣu kathitāśca purāvidaiḥ

Translation

يا خيرَ الحكماء، قد أُعلن أن أربعةً من أنواع الزواج هي الأسمى. وأمّا الباقي فقد وصفه أيضًا العارفون بالتقليد القديم، مما يجري على طبائع شتّى وأحوال مختلفة.

Word by Word

• चत्वारः: four
• चत्वारः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चतुर् (संख्याप्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; संख्यावाचक

• उत्तमाः: best/superior
• उत्तमाः: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: उत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; विशेषण

• प्रोक्ताः: are declared
• प्रोक्ताः: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र + वच् (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (PPP), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• विवाहाः: marriages (types)
• विवाहाः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विवाह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• मुनिसत्तम: O best of sages
• मुनिसत्तम: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मुनि (प्रातिपदिक) + सत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative), एकवचन; समास: तत्पुरुष (मुनिषु सत्तमः)

• शेषाः: the remaining (ones)
• शेषाः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शेष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• सर्वप्रकृतिषु: in all categories/natures
• सर्वप्रकृतिषु: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक) + प्रकृति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (7th/Locative), बहुवचन; समास: तत्पुरुष (सर्वासु प्रकृतिषु)

• कथिताः: are told/mentioned
• कथिताः: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कथ् (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (PPP), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• च: and
• च: Avyaya (अव्यय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयार्थक (conjunction)

• पुराविदैः: by the ancients/knowers of old
• पुराविदैः: Karana (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुरा (अव्यय/प्रातिपदिक) + विद् (प्रातिपदिक: 'knower')
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन; समास: तत्पुरुष (पुराणां विदः/पुरा-विदः = 'knowers of old/ancients')

Speaker

Unspecified (addressing a sage: “munisattama”)

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: munisattama (addressed sage)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A calm teaching scene: a venerable sage instructs a disciple/pilgrim, enumerating ‘uttama’ marriage forms from ancient tradition, with palm-leaf manuscripts and a tīrtha backdrop implied.

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharma is graded: some forms are praised as superior, while other forms are acknowledged as existing within human society.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific tīrtha is mentioned in this verse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

It identifies that four marriage-forms are ‘uttama’ and that other forms are also recognized by tradition.