Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 33

Devanagari script

सावित्र्युवाच । किमेतद्युज्यते कर्तुं तव वृद्ध तमाकृते । ऊढवानसि यत्पत्नीमेतां गोपसमुद्भवाम्

Transliteration

sāvitryuvāca | kimetadyujyate kartuṃ tava vṛddha tamākṛte | ūḍhavānasi yatpatnīmetāṃ gopasamudbhavām

Translation

Sāvitrī sprach: „Wie ziemt es dir, dies zu tun, du, der du alt bist und von solcher Gestalt—dass du diese Frau, aus der Gemeinschaft der Kuhhirten geboren, zur Gattin genommen hast?“

Word by Word

• सावित्री: Sāvitrī
• सावित्री: Karta (Speaker/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सावित्री (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-विभक्ति; एकवचन

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect); प्रथम-पुरुष; एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• किम्: what
• किम्: Karma (object of ‘yujyate’)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति; एकवचन (interrogative)

• एतत्: this
• एतत्: Karma (object; apposition to किम्)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति; एकवचन (demonstrative)

• युज्यते: is proper; is fitting
• युज्यते: Kriya (Predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: युज् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present); प्रथम-पुरुष; एकवचन; आत्मनेपद; कर्मणि-प्रयोग (passive)

• कर्तुम्: to do
• कर्तुम्: Prayojana (purpose/complement)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: तुमुन्-प्रत्ययान्त (infinitive); ‘to do’

• तव: of you; your
• तव: Sambandha (possessor)
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्वद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-विभक्ति (6th/Genitive); एकवचन

• वृद्ध: O old one
• वृद्ध: Sambodhana (Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वृद्ध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative); एकवचन

• तमाकृते: in a dark form/appearance
• तमाकृते: Adhikarana (reference/locative)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तम्-आकृति (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; सप्तमी-विभक्ति; एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (तमस्याः आकृतिः/तमः-आकृतिः)

• ऊढवान्: have married
• ऊढवान्: Kriya (with असि)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वह् (धातु) → ऊढवत् (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्तवत्); पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-विभक्ति; एकवचन; ‘having married’ (periphrastic perfect sense)

• असि: you are (have)
• असि: Kriya (auxiliary)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present); मध्यम-पुरुष; एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• यत्: since; because
• यत्: Sambandha (causal connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय-प्रयोग; हेत्वर्थे/यतः (since/because)

• पत्नीम्: wife
• पत्नीम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पत्नी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; द्वितीया-विभक्ति; एकवचन

• एताम्: this (woman)
• एताम्: Karma (object qualifier)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; द्वितीया-विभक्ति; एकवचन

• गोपसमुद्भवाम्: born from a cowherd
• गोपसमुद्भवाम्: Karma (object qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: गोप-समुद्भवा (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; द्वितीया-विभक्ति; एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (गोपात् समुद्भवा)

Speaker

Sāvitrī

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: her husband (addressed directly)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Close focus on Sāvitrī addressing her husband: her finger raised in accusation; the co-wife stands slightly behind, modest or anxious; elders/sages in the background; the yajña fire glows, underscoring the public nature of the rebuke.

Characters & Entities

• Sāvitrī
• gopa (cowherd community)
• pati (husband; contextually Brahmā)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Propriety (aucitya) and faithfulness are presented as integral to dharma; ritual status cannot excuse personal wrongdoing.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific tīrtha is identified in this spoken verse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it is a moral confrontation within a yajña narrative.