Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 2

Devanagari script

यो नारीं वांछते क्ष्माप रूपाढ्यां शीलमण्डनाम् । इह लोके परे चैव तस्यार्हं प्रथमं दिनम्

Transliteration

yo nārīṃ vāṃchate kṣmāpa rūpāḍhyāṃ śīlamaṇḍanām | iha loke pare caiva tasyārhaṃ prathamaṃ dinam

Translation

O König, wer eine Frau begehrt, reich an Schönheit und geschmückt mit guter Sitte, in dieser Welt wie in der jenseitigen, der soll am ersten Tage den ihm vorgeschriebenen Ritus vollziehen.

Word by Word

• yaḥ: who
• yaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (प्रातिपदिक सर्वनाम)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st/Nominative); एकवचन

• nārīm: a woman
• nārīm: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nārī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative); एकवचन

• vāṃchate: desires
• vāṃchate: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vāñch (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present); प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person); एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

• kṣmāpa: O king (protector of the earth)
• kṣmāpa: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kṣmā-pa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; सम्बोधन (Vocative); एकवचन

• rūpāḍhyām: rich in beauty
• rūpāḍhyām: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: rūpa-āḍhya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative); एकवचन; स्त्रीलिङ्गे ‘नारीम्’ विशेषयति

• śīlamaṇḍanām: adorned with good conduct
• śīlamaṇḍanām: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śīla-maṇḍanā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative); एकवचन; ‘नारीम्’ विशेषयति

• iha: here
• iha: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iha (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक (locative adverb)

• loke: in the world
• loke: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: loka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; सप्तमी (7th/Locative); एकवचन

• pare: in the other (world)
• pare: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: para (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; सप्तमी (7th/Locative); एकवचन; ‘loke’ विशेषणम्

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय (conjunction)

• eva: indeed
• eva: Sambandha (Emphasis/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधारण (emphatic particle)

• tasya: of him
• tasya: Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (प्रातिपदिक सर्वनाम)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग; षष्ठी (6th/Genitive); एकवचन

• arham: proper/appropriate
• arham: Karma/Prayojana (Eligible/fit)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: arha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd); एकवचन; विधेयविशेषण (predicative)

• prathamam: first
• prathamam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: prathama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative); एकवचन; ‘dinam’ विशेषयति

• dinam: day
• dinam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dina (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative); एकवचन

Speaker

Bhartṛyajña

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Pretapakṣa (Pitṛpakṣa) observance within tīrtha-māhātmya frame

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: King (nṛpa)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A king listens to a sage explaining first-day Pretapakṣa śrāddha; a clean altar with kuśa grass, piṇḍa offerings, water vessel, and a seated brāhmaṇa receiving honor; subtle presence of pitṛs in the background as luminous ancestors.

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purāṇic dharma frames even personal desires as to be pursued through righteous, merit-producing rites rather than adharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The instruction occurs within the Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra-māhātmya context of Nāgara Khaṇḍa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A kāmya-Śrāddha (or its observance) connected with ‘the first day’ is prescribed for one seeking such a result.