Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 72

Devanagari script

वेधसा बंधनं किंचिन्नृणामन्यदपश्यता । स्त्रीरूपेण ततः कोऽपि पाशोऽयं सुदृढः कृतः

Transliteration

vedhasā baṃdhanaṃ kiṃcinnṛṇāmanyadapaśyatā | strīrūpeṇa tataḥ ko'pi pāśo'yaṃ sudṛḍhaḥ kṛtaḥ

Translation

Da der Schöpfer (Vedhas) für die Männer keine andere Fessel sah, schmiedete er diese überaus feste Schlinge, indem er die Gestalt der Frau annahm.

Word by Word

• vedhasā: by the Creator
• vedhasā: Karana (Agent in passive/कर्तृकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vedhas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन

• bandhanam: a bondage
• bandhanam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bandhana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• kiṃcit: some
• kiṃcit: Viśeṣaṇa (Indefinite qualifier)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: kiṃcit (अव्यय/सर्वनाम-निपात)
• Form: अव्यय; अनिश्चितपरिमाणवाचक (indefinite: something/a certain)

• nṛṇām: of men
• nṛṇām: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nṛ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन

• anyat: other
• anyat: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: anya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifying bandhanam)

• apaśyatā: by (one) not seeing
• apaśyatā: Hetu/Condition (हेतु)
• Type: Verb
• Root: a-paśyat (√dṛś/paśy धातु)
• Form: वर्तमानकृदन्त (शतृ/अत्), पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन; नकारार्थे (not seeing)

• strī-rūpeṇa: in the form of a woman
• strī-rūpeṇa: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: strī (प्रातिपदिक) + rūpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन; तृतीया-तत्पुरुष/उपपद (striyāḥ rūpeṇa)

• tataḥ: therefore/then
• tataḥ: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tataḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अव्यय-प्रयोग (adverb: therefore/then)

• kaḥ: someone
• kaḥ: Karta (Indefinite agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kim (प्रातिपदिक/सर्वनाम)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; अनिश्चितार्थे (someone)

• api: even/also
• api: Discourse particle (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात (particle: even/also)

• pāśaḥ: a noose/snare
• pāśaḥ: Karta (Predicate nominative/समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pāśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• ayam: this
• ayam: Viśeṣaṇa (Demonstrative qualifier)
• Type: Noun
• Root: idam (प्रातिपदिक/सर्वनाम)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• su-dṛḍhaḥ: very firm
• su-dṛḍhaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: su (उपसर्ग/अव्यय) + dṛḍha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; उपसर्गपूर्वक विशेषण

• kṛtaḥ: made/created
• kṛtaḥ: Kriyā (Predicate participle)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kṛ (धातु)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (क्त), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; कर्मणि (made)

Speaker

Unspecified (didactic narrator voice in Nāgarakhaṇḍa Tīrthamāhātmya)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A cosmic artisan (Vedhas/Brahmā) forging a strong rope-noose; beside it, a human figure bound by the noose of attachment, while a distant tīrtha-ghāṭa and temple spire suggest the path of release.

Characters & Entities

• Vedhā (Brahmā)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Bondage is fundamentally mental and desire-based; liberation requires breaking inner ‘nooses’ through discipline and insight.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific tīrtha is named in this verse; it functions as a general teaching within the Tīrthamāhātmya.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly; the verse is explanatory, not prescriptive.