Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 164

Devanagari script

अनेन विधिना या तु कुमारी व्रतमाचरेत् । शोभनं पतिमाप्नोति यथेन्द्राण्या शतक्रतुः

Transliteration

anena vidhinā yā tu kumārī vratamācaret | śobhanaṃ patimāpnoti yathendrāṇyā śatakratuḥ

Translation

Ein jungfräuliches Mädchen, das dieses Gelübde nach eben diesem Verfahren übt, erlangt einen vortrefflichen Gatten — so wie Indrāṇī Śatakratu (Indra) erlangte.

Word by Word

• अनेन: by this
• अनेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम; तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन

• विधिना: by the method/rite
• विधिना: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विधि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन

• या: who (she who)
• या: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम; स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• तु: indeed, but
• तु: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; विरोध/विशेषार्थक (particle: 'but/indeed')

• कुमारी: a maiden, unmarried girl
• कुमारी: Karta (Apposition/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कुमारी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• व्रतम्: vow, observance
• व्रतम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: व्रत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• आचरेत्: should perform, would observe
• आचरेत्: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ + चर् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative/संभावना), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन

• शोभनम्: excellent, auspicious
• शोभनम्: Karma (Object qualifier/कर्म-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शोभन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; विशेषण (पतिम्)

• पतिम्: husband
• पतिम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• आप्नोति: attains, obtains
• आप्नोति: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आप् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present/वर्तमान), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन

• यथा: as, just as
• यथा: Sambandha (Comparative marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; उपमान/तुलना-वाचक (comparative: 'as')

• इन्द्राण्याः: of Indrāṇī
• इन्द्राण्याः: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इन्द्राणी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• शतक्रतुः: Śatakratu (Indra)
• शतक्रतुः: Karta (Subject in comparison/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शतक्रतु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; इन्द्रस्य नाम

Speaker

Nārada (context: concluding instruction about the vow’s fruits)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Madhu-vrata (kanyā-phala) in Revā Khaṇḍa

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A maiden performs the vow with focused devotion, while the exemplar of Indrāṇī and Indra is evoked as the archetype of an excellent match.

Characters & Entities

• Indrāṇī
• Indra (Śatakratu)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Disciplined observance of a dharmic vow (vrata) is said to refine destiny and grant auspicious life-partnership aligned with virtue.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The broader setting is the Revā region (Narmadā sacred geography) within the Avantīkhaṇḍa, though this verse focuses on vrata-fruit rather than a single named tīrtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Observing the Kumārī-vrata ‘by this method’ (anena vidhinā), implying adherence to the previously described procedure.