Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 12

Devanagari script

स्वस्त्रीस्नेहकृतेयस्तु तं पत्नीभिरिति द्विजाः । जपेद्भार्या भवेत्साध्वी तस्य सा स्नेहवत्सला

Transliteration

svastrīsnehakṛteyastu taṃ patnībhiriti dvijāḥ | japedbhāryā bhavetsādhvī tasya sā snehavatsalā

Translation

O ihr Zweimalgeborenen, wer hier das Mantra rezitiert, das mit „taṃ patnībhir …“ beginnt, um die Zuneigung seiner Gattin zu gewinnen, dessen Frau wird tugendhaft und ergeben und liebt ihn mit beständiger Zärtlichkeit.

Word by Word

• स्व-स्त्री-स्नेह-कृते: for (one’s) wife’s affection
• स्व-स्त्री-स्नेह-कृते: Hetu (हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्व (प्रातिपदिक) + स्त्री (प्रातिपदिक) + स्नेह (प्रातिपदिक) + कृत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; हेतौ/निमित्ते (for the sake of)

• यः: who
• यः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; सम्बन्धबोधक-सर्वनाम

• तु: but/indeed
• तु: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात (particle), विरोध/विशेषार्थ

• तम्: that (mantra)
• तम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• पत्नीभिः: with (the word) ‘wives’
• पत्नीभिः: Karana (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पत्नी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन

• इति: thus
• इति: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; उद्धरण/वाक्यसमाप्ति-सूचक (quotative)

• द्विजाः: O twice-born (Brahmins)
• द्विजाः: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्विज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; संबोधनार्थे अपि (vocative sense possible)

• जपेत्: should recite
• जपेत्: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: जप् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• भार्या: wife
• भार्या: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भार्या (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• भवेत्: would become
• भवेत्: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• साध्वी: virtuous
• साध्वी: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: साध्वी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; विशेषण

• तस्य: of him
• तस्य: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• सा: she
• सा: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• स्नेह-वत्सला: affectionate
• स्नेह-वत्सला: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्नेह (प्रातिपदिक) + वत्सल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; कर्मधारय (snehena vatsalā)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced from tīrthamāhātmya instructional style within Skanda Purāṇa)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: dvijāḥ

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A brāhmaṇa householder at a tīrtha shrine recites softly; behind him, a couple stands with joined hands, the wife depicted as calm and radiant, symbolizing sādhvī devotion and affectionate concord.

Characters & Entities

• Dvija (Brāhmaṇas)
• Mantra/Japa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Holy-place japa is presented as a dharmic means to restore harmony and virtue within household life.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse speaks within a Tīrthamāhātmya context of Nāgarakhaṇḍa, praising mantra-japa performed ‘here’ at the chapter’s described tīrtha (name not specified in the snippet).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Japa (repetition) of a specified Vedic mantra/ṛc beginning with “taṃ patnībhiḥ …” for the intended result.