Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 81

Devanagari script

शशापाथ च सावित्री बाष्पगद्गदया गिरा । सपत्न्या मम यत्पूजां कृत्वा वै सुसमागताः

Transliteration

śaśāpātha ca sāvitrī bāṣpagadgadayā girā | sapatnyā mama yatpūjāṃ kṛtvā vai susamāgatāḥ

Translation

Dann sprach Sāvitrī mit von Tränen erstickter Stimme einen Fluch: „Weil ihr meine Verehrung zusammen mit meiner Mitgattin vollzogen habt und in Eintracht zusammengekommen seid…“

Word by Word

• śaśāpa: cursed
• śaśāpa: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: śap (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (singular), परस्मैपद

• atha: then
• atha: Discourse marker (सम्बन्ध/अन्वय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atha (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अनुक्रम/आरम्भसूचक (then/now)

• ca: and
• ca: Connector (समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयबोधक (conjunction)

• sāvitrī: Sāvitrī
• sāvitrī: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sāvitrī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st case), एकवचन

• bāṣpa-gadgadayā: with a tear-choked
• bāṣpa-gadgadayā: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: bāṣpa (प्रातिपदिक) + gadgada (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd case), एकवचन; विशेषण (instrumental qualifier)

• girā: with speech/voice
• girā: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gir (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd case), एकवचन

• sa-patnyā: together with (his) wife
• sa-patnyā: Sahakāraka (Accompaniment/सह)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sa (उपसर्ग/सह) + patnī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd case), एकवचन; अव्ययीभावसमास; 'पत्नी सहितया' (together with the wife)

• mama: my
• mama: Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (6th case), एकवचन; सर्वनाम (genitive)

• yat-pūjām: the worship which
• yat-pūjām: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yat (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + pūjā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd case), एकवचन; सम्बन्धतत्पुरुष ('यस्याः/या' इति सम्बन्ध)

• kṛtvā: having done
• kṛtvā: Purvakāla-kriyā (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kṛ (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund), अव्ययभाव (indeclinable verbal)

• vai: indeed
• vai: Emphasis (निश्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vai (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निश्चयार्थक/एवकारार्थ (indeed)

• su-samāgatāḥ: have come well/assembled
• su-samāgatāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: su (उपसर्ग/अव्यय) + sam-ā-gam (धातु)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त/ppp) 'समागत'; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st case), बहुवचन; विशेषण/विधेय

Speaker

Sāvitrī

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Sāvitrī, eyes wet and voice trembling, pronounces a curse upon worshippers who performed her pūjā together with a co-wife; the atmosphere is tense, devotional, and sorrow-laden.

Characters & Entities

• Sāvitrī
• Gāyatrī (implied as co-wife)
• Brahmā (implied by marital context)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purāṇic dharma warns that ritual actions entangled with rivalry and hurt can lead to consequences; speech (vāk) carries great karmic power.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The curse episode forms part of the Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra māhātmya thread in the Nāgarakhaṇḍa’s Tīrthamāhātmya.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

It references pūjā (worship) performed, but the verse primarily introduces the śāpa (curse) arising from the manner/context of that worship.