Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 67

Devanagari script

कारागारे चिरं कालं संगमिष्यत्यसंशयम् । वासुदेव त्वया यस्मादेषा वै पंचभर्तृका

Transliteration

kārāgāre ciraṃ kālaṃ saṃgamiṣyatyasaṃśayam | vāsudeva tvayā yasmādeṣā vai paṃcabhartṛkā

Translation

Weil du, o Vāsudeva, mit dieser Frau—die man „die Fünf-Gatten-Frau“ nennt—verkehrt hast, wird sie ohne Zweifel lange Zeit in einem Kerker wohnen müssen.

Word by Word

• कारागारे: in the prison-house
• कारागारे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कारागार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (अधिकरण), एकवचन; समासः—कारा (कारा=कारागृह/बन्धन) + आगार (गृह)

• चिरम्: for a long time
• चिरम्: Kriya-visheshaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: चिरम् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक क्रियाविशेषण

• कालम्: time (duration)
• कालम्: Kala-adhikarana (Temporal extent/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (अवधि/काल-परिमाण), एकवचन

• संगमिष्यति: will associate/consort
• संगमिष्यति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम् (धातु) + सम् (उपसर्ग)
• Form: लृट् (भविष्यत्), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• असंशयम्: without doubt
• असंशयम्: Kriya-visheshaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: असंशयम् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव-समास; अव्यय; निश्चयार्थक क्रियाविशेषण

• वासुदेव: O Vāsudeva
• वासुदेव: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वासुदेव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th/vocative), एकवचन

• त्वया: by you
• त्वया: Karana/Hetu (Instrument/Cause/करण-हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: द्वितीयपुरुष-सर्वनाम, तृतीया (करण/हेतु), एकवचन

• यस्मात्: because/since
• यस्मात्: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तस्मात्-प्रकारेण; हेत्वर्थे अव्ययीभूतः (ablative used adverbially)

• एषा: this woman
• एषा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• वै: indeed
• वै: Prayojaka-nipata (Emphasis/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वै (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निश्चय/उपपादक निपात (particle)

• पंचभर्तृका: having five husbands
• पंचभर्तृका: Karta-visheshana (Qualifier of subject/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पञ्च (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक) + भर्तृक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; द्विगु-समास (पञ्च भर्तारः यस्याः सा)

Speaker

Unspecified (within Nāgarakhaṇḍa Tīrthamāhātmya; a curse-pronouncing speaker addressing Vāsudeva)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A woman labeled ‘pañcabhartṛkā’ is shown being led toward a prison gate; the speaker addresses ‘Vāsudeva’ with accusatory gesture; the mood is tragic and judicial.

Characters & Entities

• Vāsudeva
• pañcabhartṛkā (a woman described as having five husbands)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Improper desire and transgressive association are portrayed as leading to social and karmic bondage, symbolized by imprisonment.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

This verse is part of a Tīrthamāhātmya context, but the specific tīrtha is not named in the shloka itself.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None directly; the verse functions within a moral-judicial (śāpa) narrative rather than a ritual injunction.