Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 9

Devanagari script

सपत्नीकान्नृपश्रेष्ठ चतुर्थ्यङ्गारके व्रते । पत्नीभर्तारसंयुक्तं विद्वांसं श्रोत्रियं द्विजम्

Transliteration

sapatnīkānnṛpaśreṣṭha caturthyaṅgārake vrate | patnībhartārasaṃyuktaṃ vidvāṃsaṃ śrotriyaṃ dvijam

Translation

O Bester der Könige, beim Aṅgāraka-Gelübde am vierten Mondtag (soll man) Brāhmaṇas samt ihren Ehefrauen ehren: Gelehrte, Veda-geschulte Śrotriyas, begleitet von ihren Gattinnen.

Word by Word

• सपत्नीकान्: (those) with their wives
• सपत्नीकान्: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स + पत्नी + क (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; बहुव्रीहिः—पत्नी अस्ति येषां ते (with wives)

• नृपश्रेष्ठ: O best of kings
• नृपश्रेष्ठ: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नृप + श्रेष्ठ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः—नृपाणां श्रेष्ठः (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष)

• चतुर्थी: on the fourth (lunar day)
• चतुर्थी: Adhikarana (अधिकरण/temporal)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चतुर्थी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Locative): चतुर्थ्याम् (here as चतुर्थी)

• अङ्गारके: on Tuesday / on (day of) Aṅgāraka (Mars)
• अङ्गारके: Adhikarana (अधिकरण/temporal)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अङ्गारक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• व्रते: in the vow/observance
• व्रते: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: व्रत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• पत्नीभर्तारसंयुक्तम्: accompanied by wife and husband
• पत्नीभर्तारसंयुक्तम्: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पत्नी + भर्तृ + संयुक्त (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः—पत्नीभर्तृभ्यां संयुक्तः (तृतीया-तत्पुरुष)

• विद्वांसम्: a learned man
• विद्वांसम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विद्वस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• श्रोत्रियम्: Veda-trained, orthodox
• श्रोत्रियम्: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: श्रोत्रिय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• द्विजम्: a Brahmin (twice-born)
• द्विजम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्विज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

Speaker

Narrator addressing a King (listener implied)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Māṅgaleśvara-tīrtha

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Nṛpaśreṣṭha / Pāṇḍunandana (kingly addressee in this passage)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A vow-day gathering: learned brāhmaṇa couples seated together; the patron-king or pilgrim offers respectful hospitality, water for washing, and dakṣiṇā, under the auspices of Māṅgaleśvara.

Characters & Entities

• Aṅgāraka-vrata
• Caturthī
• Brāhmaṇa (Dvija)
• Śrotriya

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Vows become fruitful through respectful support of learned Vedic households; dharma is upheld by honoring qualified recipients.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The vrata instruction belongs to the Māṅgaleśvara tīrtha narrative in Revā-khaṇḍa, though the verse focuses on the vow’s recipients.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

During the Caturthī Aṅgāraka-vrata, honor (and typically feed/gift) learned śrotriya brāhmaṇas along with their wives.