Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 33

Devanagari script

विशेषेण च नारीभिरत्र न श्रद्दधाम्यहम् । अवश्यं यौवनस्थेन तिर्यग्योनिगतेन च

Transliteration

viśeṣeṇa ca nārībhiratra na śraddadhāmyaham | avaśyaṃ yauvanasthena tiryagyonigatena ca

Translation

„Und hierin fällt es mir besonders schwer, es von Frauen zu glauben. Denn unvermeidlich wird, wer in der Jugend steht — selbst wenn er im Tierreich geboren ist — vom Begehren angetrieben.“

Word by Word

• विशेषेण: especially
• विशेषेण: Sambandha (Adverbial/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: विशेष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तृतीया-एकवचनरूपेण अव्ययीभूत (instrumental used adverbially): 'विशेषतः'

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

• नारीभिः: by women; with women
• नारीभिः: Karana (Instrument/Means/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नारी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन

• अत्र: here; in this matter
• अत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक अव्यय (locative adverb)

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध (negation particle)

• श्रद्दधामि: I believe/trust
• श्रद्दधामि: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: श्रद् + धा (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), उत्तमपुरुष (1st person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• अहम्: I
• अहम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अहम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तमपुरुष-सर्वनाम, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• अवश्यम्: certainly; inevitably
• अवश्यम्: Sambandha (Adverbial/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अवश्यम् (अव्यय)
• Form: निश्चयार्थक अव्यय (adverb: certainly/necessarily)

• यौवनस्थेन: by one situated in youth
• यौवनस्थेन: Karana (Instrument/Means/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: यौवन-स्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन; 'यौवने स्थित'

• तिर्यग्योनिगतेन: by one who has entered an animal birth
• तिर्यग्योनिगतेन: Karana (Instrument/Means/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तिर्यक्-योनि-गत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन; 'तिर्यग्योनौ गत' (gone into an animal womb)

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

Speaker

Garuḍa

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Puruṣottama (Viṣṇu as addressee)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Garuḍa, in a skeptical tone, remarks on the difficulty of believing in restraint amid youth and instinct, extending the point to ‘tiryag-yoni’ (animal births) as an analogy for compulsion.

Characters & Entities

• Garuḍa
• Women (nārī)
• Youth (yauvana)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The verse sets up the teaching that true brahmacarya is rare—making the later praise of an accomplished vow-holder even more significant.

Which specific holy site (Tīrtha) is glorified here?

No tīrtha is specified in this verse; it functions as a lead-in to the saint’s extraordinary merit within the chapter.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it is a statement about perceived human tendencies and the challenge of restraint.