Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 16

Devanagari script

उदकस्पर्शिता याच याच पाणिगृहीतका । अग्निं परिगता या च पुनर्भूः प्रसवा च या

Transliteration

udakasparśitā yāca yāca pāṇigṛhītakā | agniṃ parigatā yā ca punarbhūḥ prasavā ca yā

Translation

Zu meiden ist auch das Mädchen, für das der Wasserberührungsritus vollzogen wurde, oder dessen Hand bereits förmlich ergriffen wurde (pāṇigrahaṇa), oder die den heiligen Feueraltar umschritten hat. Ebenso die sogenannte punarbhū (eine Frau, die in die Ehe zurückkehrt) und die, die schon geboren hat.

Word by Word

• उदक: water
• उदक: Samasa-anga (Compound member/समासाङ्ग)
• Type: Noun
• Root: उदक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रातिपदिक; समासपूर्वपद (water)

• स्पर्शिता: touched with water
• स्पर्शिता: Vidhaya (Predicate/विधेय)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: √स्पृश् (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (उदक-स्पर्शिता = उदकेन स्पर्शिता); भूतकृदन्त (क्त-प्रत्यय), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• या: who/which (female)
• या: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक सर्वनाम (relative pronoun)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयबोधक निपात (conjunction)

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

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयबोधक निपात (conjunction)

• पाणि: hand
• पाणि: Samasa-anga (Compound member/समासाङ्ग)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाणि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रातिपदिक; समासपूर्वपद (hand)

• गृहीतका: whose hand has been taken (in marriage)
• गृहीतका: Vidhaya (Predicate/विधेय)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: √ग्रह् (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (पाणि-गृहीतका = पाणिं गृहीता/गृहीतवती); भूतकृदन्त (क्त-प्रत्यय), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• अग्निम्: fire
• अग्निम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अग्नि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन (accusative singular)

• परिगता: having gone around/approached
• परिगता: Vidhaya (Predicate/विधेय)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: परि + √गम् (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: उपसर्गपूर्वक भूतकृदन्त (क्त-प्रत्यय), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; (having gone around/approached)

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

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयबोधक निपात (conjunction)

• पुनर्भूः: a remarried woman (punarbhū)
• पुनर्भूः: Vidhaya (Predicate/विधेय)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुनर्भू (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन (feminine nominative singular)

• प्रसवा: one who has borne a child; childbirth
• प्रसवा: Vidhaya (Predicate/विधेय)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रसव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन (feminine nominative singular)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयबोधक निपात (conjunction)

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

Speaker

Unspecified (narrative legal/dharma instruction within the Dharmāraṇya Khaṇḍa context)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Three ritual vignettes: (1) udaka-sparśa with a water vessel touching the bride’s hand, (2) pāṇigrahaṇa with groom holding bride’s hand before elders, (3) agni-parikrama around sacred fire; the text’s caution implied by a boundary line or elder’s raised hand.

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

It teaches that dharma recognizes ritual and social bonds; once marriage-rites are initiated or completed, they should not be violated.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

None is specified; the verse is a dharma injunction rather than a tīrtha-māhātmya passage.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

It mentions udakasparśa (water-touch rite), pāṇigrahaṇa (hand-taking), and agni-parigamana (circumambulation of the sacred fire).