Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 20

Devanagari script

तस्मादद्यापि त्वां कश्चिदुद्वाहयति तापसः । त्वं तं वरय भर्त्तारं येन गच्छसि मेध्यताम्

Transliteration

tasmādadyāpi tvāṃ kaścidudvāhayati tāpasaḥ | tvaṃ taṃ varaya bharttāraṃ yena gacchasi medhyatām

Translation

„Darum kann noch heute irgendein Asket dich zur Frau nehmen. Erwähle ihn zum Gatten, damit du durch ihn Reinheit und rituelle Tauglichkeit erlangst.“

Word by Word

• तस्मात्: therefore
• तस्मात्: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (निपात/सम्बन्ध-निर्देशक), अर्थे ‘अतः’

• अद्य: today, now
• अद्य: Kala-adhikarana (Time/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अद्य (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, कालवाचक (today/now)

• अपि: still, even
• अपि: Sambandha (Emphasis/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, अपि-कार (still/even)

• त्वाम्: you
• त्वाम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया) एकवचन

• कश्चित्: someone
• कश्चित्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा) एकवचन; अनिश्चित

• उद्वाहयति: marries (you off)
• उद्वाहयति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: उद्- + वह् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present/वर्तमान), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद; कारणार्थक-प्रयोग (causative sense: ‘causes to be married’/‘marries’)

• तापसः: an ascetic
• तापसः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तापस (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा) एकवचन

• त्वम्: you
• त्वम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा) एकवचन

• तम्: him
• तम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया) एकवचन

• वरय: choose
• वरय: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वृ (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (Imperative/आज्ञार्थ), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

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

• येन: by which, so that
• येन: Karana/Hetu (Means/Cause/करण-हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया) एकवचन; साधन/हेतु-अर्थे (by which/so that)

• गच्छसि: you go/attain
• गच्छसि: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present/वर्तमान), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• मेध्यताम्: purity, ritual fitness
• मेध्यताम्: Gati-karman (Goal/गति-लक्ष्य)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मेध्यता (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया) एकवचन; भाववाचक (state/quality)

Speaker

Indra

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Dīrghakanyā

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Indra offers a remedy: an ascetic may marry her even today; she should choose him as husband to regain ritual fitness.

Characters & Entities

• Indra
• Dīrghakanyā
• tāpasa (ascetic)
• udvāha (marriage)
• medhyatā

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharma is shown as restorative: right relationship and right conduct are presented as means to regain medhyatā (ritual-spiritual fitness).

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse belongs to a tīrtha-māhātmya chapter in the Nāgarakhaṇḍa; the specific place is not named within this single verse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Udvāha (marriage) is indicated as the corrective dharmic act leading to medhyatā (purity/eligibility for sacred rites).