Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 41

Devanagari script

अथ सा तं समासाद्य शूलं रात्रौ पतिव्रता । निजगात्रेण भारार्त्ता गच्छमाना महासती

Transliteration

atha sā taṃ samāsādya śūlaṃ rātrau pativratā | nijagātreṇa bhārārttā gacchamānā mahāsatī

Translation

Da gelangte jene große keusche Frau, ihrem Gatten treu, in der Nacht wandernd und vom Gewicht auf dem eigenen Leib gequält, zu jenem Pfahl.

Word by Word

• atha: then
• atha: Sambandha (Discourse/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atha (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अनुक्रमार्थक (then)

• sā: she
• sā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; एकवचन

• tam: him
• tam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया; एकवचन

• samāsādya: having approached
• samāsādya: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sam + ā + sad (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्यय (absolutive/gerund); अव्ययभाव (indeclinable gerund)

• śūlam: the stake/impaling spear
• śūlam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śūla (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया; एकवचन

• rātrau: at night
• rātrau: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rātri (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; सप्तमी; एकवचन

• pativratā: devoted wife
• pativratā: Karta (Apposition/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pati (प्रातिपदिक) + vratā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (षष्ठी); स्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; एकवचन

• nijagātreṇa: with her own body
• nijagātreṇa: Karana (Means/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nija (प्रातिपदिक) + gātra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय-समास (nijaṃ gātram); नपुंसकलिङ्ग; तृतीया; एकवचन

• bhārārttā: distressed by the burden
• bhārārttā: Karta (Qualifier/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: bhāra (प्रातिपदिक) + ārta (प्रातिपदिक; कृदन्त from ṛ/ard 'to suffer')
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (तृतीया/हेतौ: 'bhāreṇa ārtā'); स्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; एकवचन

• gacchamānā: going/moving
• gacchamānā: Karta (Participial/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: gam (धातु)
• Form: वर्तमानकाले कृदन्त (शानच्/आनच्; आत्मनेपद-भाव); स्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; एकवचन

• mahāsatī: the great virtuous lady
• mahāsatī: Karta (Apposition/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahā (प्रातिपदिक) + satī (प्रातिपदिक; कृदन्त from as धातु)
• Form: कर्मधारय-समास (mahā satī); स्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; एकवचन

Speaker

Narrator (Purāṇic narrator; likely Sūta/Lomaharṣaṇa in Mahātmya-style narration)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra (Māṇḍavya-śūla-sthāna)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Pilgrimage audience (not specified)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: At night, the great chaste woman, bent under her load, suddenly sees the stake and approaches; the impaled sage stands in pain, and the scene holds a charged stillness before action or dialogue.

Characters & Entities

• Māṇḍavya
• śūla
• pativratā/mahāsatī

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Even unintended encounters on pilgrimage can become spiritually decisive, revealing hidden intersections of karma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra remains the implied sacred setting for the unfolding event.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; the emphasis is narrative—night travel and burden-bearing as part of dhārmic steadfastness.