Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 128

Devanagari script

ऋतवागुवाच । सुव्रतेन पुरा वेदा अधीता विधिना मया । समाप्य विद्या विधवत्कृतो दारपरिग्रहः

Transliteration

ṛtavāguvāca | suvratena purā vedā adhītā vidhinā mayā | samāpya vidyā vidhavatkṛto dāraparigrahaḥ

Translation

Ṛtavāk sprach: Einst, mit festen Gelübden, studierte ich die Veden nach der Vorschrift. Nachdem ich das Wissen ordnungsgemäß vollendet hatte, trat ich dann, wie es sich gehört, in das Hausleben ein, indem ich eine Gattin nahm.

Word by Word

• ऋतवाक्: Ṛtavāk
• ऋतवाक्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ऋतवाक् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार, प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन

• सुव्रतेन: with good discipline/vows
• सुव्रतेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सुव्रत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; साधन/सहकारक अर्थे (by/with good vows/discipline)

• पुरा: formerly
• पुरा: Kriya-vishesana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुरा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, कालवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (adverb of time)

• वेदाः: the Vedas
• वेदाः: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वेद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• अधीता: were studied
• अधीता: Kriya (Predicate participle/क्रियाविशेष)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अधि-इ (धातु)
• Form: क्त (past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; कर्मणि प्रयोगे—'वेदाः अधीताः'

• विधिना: by proper method
• विधिना: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विधि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• मया: by me
• मया: Karta (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तम-पुरुष सर्वनाम, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• समाप्य: having completed
• समाप्य: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम्-आप् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय (gerund), पूर्वकालिक क्रिया (having completed)

• विद्याः: the studies/branches of knowledge
• विद्याः: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विद्या (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• विधवत्: properly
• विधवत्: Kriya-vishesana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: विधवत् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, प्रकारवाचक (in due manner)

• कृतः: was done/made
• कृतः: Kriya (Predicate participle/क्रियाविशेष)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: क्त (past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्तरि भावे—'परिग्रहः कृतः'

• दारपरिग्रहः: marriage (acceptance of a wife)
• दारपरिग्रहः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दार-परिग्रह (प्रातिपदिक; दार + परिग्रह)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः—षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (दाराणां परिग्रहः)

Speaker

Ṛtavāk

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Vastrāpatha-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Garga (being addressed in the narrative)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A calm ashram scene of study: Ṛtavāk as a disciplined student with palm-leaf manuscripts, then a transition to a wedding rite—garlands, sacred fire—signifying entry into gṛhastha.

Characters & Entities

• Ṛtavāk
• Vedas
• Dāra-parigraha (marriage/householder life)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharma is sequential and disciplined: study with vows, then righteous entry into household life according to śāstra.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The larger discourse is situated in the Vastrāpatha-kṣetra Māhātmya (Prabhāsa); this verse provides the protagonist’s dharmic credentials before the tīrtha-centered turning point.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Implicit adherence to vidhi (injunction): Vedic study by rule and marriage undertaken duly; no specific tīrtha-ritual is stated here.