Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 40

Devanagari script

कौमारब्रह्मचर्य्येण भविष्यत्यन्वयः कथम् । एतन्मे विस्तरात्सर्वं यथावद्वक्तुमर्हसि

Transliteration

kaumārabrahmacaryyeṇa bhaviṣyatyanvayaḥ katham | etanme vistarātsarvaṃ yathāvadvaktumarhasi

Translation

„Wenn man von Kindheit an Brahmacarya bewahrt, wie kann dann eine Linie (Nachkommenschaft) entstehen? Bitte erkläre mir dies alles ausführlich und der Wahrheit gemäß.“

Word by Word

• कौमार-ब्रह्मचर्येण: by (means of) maidenly celibacy
• कौमार-ब्रह्मचर्येण: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कौमार (प्रातिपदिक) + ब्रह्मचर्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (कौमारं ब्रह्मचर्यम्)

• भविष्यति: will be
• भविष्यति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: लृट् (Simple Future), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• अन्वयः: lineage/continuity
• अन्वयः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अन्वय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• कथम्: how?
• कथम्: Prashna (Interrogative/प्रश्न)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: कथम् (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रश्नार्थक-अव्यय (interrogative adverb)

• एतत्: this
• एतत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• मे: to me
• मे: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी/चतुर्थी (Gen./Dat.), एकवचन; अत्र चतुर्थी-अर्थे (to me)

• विस्तरात्: in detail
• विस्तरात्: Adhikarana (Context/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विस्तर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/Ablative), एकवचन; 'in detail/at length' (अव्ययीभावार्थे)

• सर्वम्: all (of it)
• सर्वम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; एतत् इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

• यथावत्: properly, as it should be
• यथावत्: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथावत् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb)

• वक्तुम्: to tell
• वक्तुम्: Prayojana (Purpose/प्रयोजन)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु) + तुमुन् (कृदन्त)
• Form: तुमुनन्त (infinitive), 'to speak'

• अर्हसि: you ought/are able
• अर्हसि: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अर्ह् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

Speaker

Unspecified (a questioner in the dialogue; context implies a listener addressing Bhagavān/Śiva)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Pādukā-sambhava (as implied)

Type: cave

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Bhagavān (Śiva)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A maiden respectfully questions the Lord: if lifelong celibacy is kept from childhood, how can descendants arise? The scene is contemplative, with the Pādukā shrine hinted in the background.

Characters & Entities

• Brahmacarya
• Anvaya (lineage)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharma is subtle: vows like brahmacarya and worldly continuity must be understood through proper scriptural explanation.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The broader passage belongs to the Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra Māhātmya within Nāgara Khaṇḍa, focusing on Śrīmātuḥ Pādukā.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None directly; it introduces a doctrinal question that leads into the site’s vow-and-merit teaching.