Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 12

Devanagari script

वयं यस्मै त्वया दत्ताः पत्न्यर्थं तात पापिने । ऋतुमात्रमपि प्रीत्या सोऽस्माकं न प्रयच्छति

Transliteration

vayaṃ yasmai tvayā dattāḥ patnyarthaṃ tāta pāpine | ṛtumātramapi prītyā so'smākaṃ na prayacchati

Translation

„Vater, du hast uns jenem Sünder als Gattinnen gegeben; doch er gewährt uns in Liebe nicht einmal eine einzige Zeit der Nähe — nicht einmal ein ṛtu — und kommt nicht zu uns.“

Word by Word

• वयम्: we
• वयम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तमपुरुष-सर्वनाम; प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; 'we'

• यस्मै: to whom
• यस्मै: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (4th), एकवचन; dative 'to whom'

• त्वया: by you
• त्वया: Karana (Instrument/कर्ता-हेतुक)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: मध्यमपुरुष-सर्वनाम; तृतीया (3rd), एकवचन; instrumental 'by you'

• दत्ताः: given
• दत्ताः: Karta (Predicate adjective of subject)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दा (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (भूतकर्मणि) = past participle; स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; 'given'

• पत्न्यर्थम्: for (his) wifehood, as wives
• पत्न्यर्थम्: Prayojana (Purpose/प्रयोजन)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पत्नी (प्रातिपदिक) + अर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव-प्राय (उद्देश्ये) / तत्पुरुषसमास; द्वितीया-एकवचनरूपेण क्रियाविशेषणवत्: 'पत्नी-अर्थम्' = for (the purpose of being) a wife

• तात: O father
• तात: Sambodhana (Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तात (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative/सम्बोधन), एकवचन; address to father

• पापिने: to the sinful one
• पापिने: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पापिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (4th), एकवचन; dative 'to the sinful one' (i.e., Soma)

• ऋतुमात्रम्: even a mere (fertile) season
• ऋतुमात्रम्: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ऋतु (प्रातिपदिक) + मात्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष: 'ऋतोः मात्रम्' = even a mere season/period (of fertility)

• अपि: even
• अपि: Sambandha (Particle/Emphasis)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (निपात) = particle; 'even/also'

• प्रीत्या: with affection
• प्रीत्या: Karana (Instrument/Means)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रीति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), एकवचन; instrumental 'with affection'

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; subject pronoun 'he'

• अस्माकम्: to us / for us
• अस्माकम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (6th), बहुवचन; genitive 'of us/for us'

• न: not
• न: Pratishedha (Negation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (निषेध) = negation particle

• प्रयच्छति: grants
• प्रयच्छति: Kriya (Main verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र-यम् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद; 'gives/grants'

Speaker

Dakṣa’s daughters (collectively)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: One maiden steps forward, speaking firmly through tears to Dakṣa; others echo her grief. Dakṣa’s face shows shock and sorrow at the charge that his son-in-law is ‘pāpī’ and unjust.

Characters & Entities

• Dakṣa
• Soma/Chandra (implied as husband)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Householder life is upheld by mutual responsibility; withholding rightful affection and duty is portrayed as adharma that harms others.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The line functions within a Tīrthamāhātmya chapter, but it does not itself name a particular tīrtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

It references ṛtu-kāla (the proper marital season) as a dharmic duty, rather than a pilgrimage rite.