Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 48

Devanagari script

गालव उवाच । असच्छूद्रगतं दास निषेधं विद्धि मानद । स्त्रीणामपि च साध्वीनां नैवाभावः प्रकीर्तितः

Transliteration

gālava uvāca | asacchūdragataṃ dāsa niṣedhaṃ viddhi mānada | strīṇāmapi ca sādhvīnāṃ naivābhāvaḥ prakīrtitaḥ

Translation

قال غالَفا: «يا أيها الرجل الصالح، يا خادم، اعلم أن النهي إنما يتعلّق بالشودرَة غير الفاضل؛ وأما النساء أيضًا—ولا سيما العفيفات التقيّات—فلا يُعلَن في حقهنّ أيُّ عدمِ أهلية.»

Word by Word

• गालवः: Gālava
• गालवः: कर्ता (Speaker/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गालव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: क्रिया (Speech verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• असच्छूद्रगतम्: directed toward non-virtuous Shudras
• असच्छूद्रगतम्: विशेषण (Qualifier of ‘निषेधम्’)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: असत् (प्रातिपदिक) + शूद्र (प्रातिपदिक) + गत (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; √गम्)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; भूतकृदन्त ‘गत’ (past passive participle) ; समासः ‘असच्छूद्रेषु/असच्छूद्रं प्रति गतः’ इत्यर्थे (context: directed at non-virtuous Shudras)

• दास: O servant/O man
• दास: सम्बोधन (Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दास (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative), एकवचन

• निषेधम्: prohibition
• निषेधम्: कर्म (Object of ‘विद्धि’)
• Type: Noun
• Root: निषेध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• विद्धि: know/understand
• विद्धि: क्रिया (Command)
• Type: Verb
• Root: विद् (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (Imperative), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• मानद: O honourable one
• मानद: सम्बोधन (Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मानद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative), एकवचन; ‘मानं ददाति’ (honour-giver)

• स्त्रीणाम्: of women
• स्त्रीणाम्: सम्बन्ध (Genitive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्त्री (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन

• अपि: also
• अपि: सम्बन्ध (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय (also)

• च: and
• च: सम्बन्ध (Conjunction)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय (and)

• साध्वीनाम्: of virtuous (women)
• साध्वीनाम्: सम्बन्ध (Genitive—subset/apposition)
• Type: Noun
• Root: साध्वी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन; ‘साध्वी’ = virtuous woman

• न: not
• न: सम्बन्ध (Negation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निषेध

• एव: indeed/at all
• एव: सम्बन्ध (Emphasis)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधारण (indeed/only)

• अभावः: absence/non-existence
• अभावः: कर्ता (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अभाव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• प्रकीर्तितः: has been declared/mentioned
• प्रकीर्तितः: क्रिया (Predicate—Ppp used as verbal)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र + कीर्त् (धातु) → प्रकीर्तित (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; कर्मणि भावः ‘(अभावः) प्रकीर्तितः’

Speaker

Gālava

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Śāligrāma

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: A devotee/servant inquirer (as addressed)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Sage Gālava speaks firmly yet kindly, clarifying who is truly prohibited; women devotees and humble attendants listen with relief and devotion; Śāligrāma altar remains central.

Characters & Entities

• Gālava
• Śāligrāma-śilā

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Moral and devotional integrity is emphasized as the key qualification; blanket doubt is corrected by nuanced dharma teaching.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No particular tīrtha is named; the teaching concerns worship-eligibility around Śāligrāma.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

It clarifies that the prohibition is directed at the ‘asat’ (unvirtuous) category, while virtuous women are not declared ineligible.