Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 23

Devanagari script

यदि कश्चिद्द्विजो जात्या करोति मम सांप्रतम् । पाणिग्राहं तपोऽर्द्धस्य श्रेयो यच्छामि तस्य च

Transliteration

yadi kaściddvijo jātyā karoti mama sāṃpratam | pāṇigrāhaṃ tapo'rddhasya śreyo yacchāmi tasya ca

Translation

“Si algún dvija por nacimiento toma ahora mi mano en matrimonio, le concederé también el mérito y el bien espiritual de la mitad de mi austeridad.”

Word by Word

• यदि: if
• यदि: Sambandha (Condition/शर्त)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yadi (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (शर्तबोधक-निपात)

• कश्चित्: someone, any (person)
• कश्चित्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kaścit (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; अनिश्चितवाचक-सर्वनाम

• द्विजः: a Brahmin (lit. twice-born)
• द्विजः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dvija (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; कश्चित् इति विशेष्य

• जात्या: by birth
• जात्या: Karana (Means/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: jātyā (jāti-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), एकवचन; हेतौ/प्रकारे — 'by birth'

• करोति: does, performs
• करोति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kṛ (धातु)
• Form: लट् (present), परस्मैपद; प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• मम: my
• मम: Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• सांप्रतम्: now, at present
• सांप्रतम्: Adhikarana (Time/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sāṃprata (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (कालवाचक) — 'now/at present'

• पाणिग्राहम्: hand-taking (marriage)
• पाणिग्राहम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pāṇi (प्रातिपदिक) + grāha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (षष्ठी/कर्मधारय-भाव: 'hand-taking'); पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन

• तपः: austerity, penance
• तपः: Sambandha (Qualifier/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tapas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन (पदं समासे पूर्वपदम्)

• अर्द्धस्य: of half
• अर्द्धस्य: Sambandha (Genitive/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: arddha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), एकवचन

• श्रेयः: the good, benefit
• श्रेयः: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śreyas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन

• यच्छामि: I give, I grant
• यच्छामि: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: yam (धातु)
• Form: लट् (present), परस्मैपद; उत्तमपुरुष, एकवचन

• तस्य: to/for him; of him
• तस्य: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (समुच्चयबोधक-निपात)

Speaker

Dīrghakanyā

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The woman proclaims a vow: any dvija who accepts her hand will receive half the merit of her austerities; her raised hand becomes a gesture of offering rather than mere calling.

Characters & Entities

• Dīrghakanyā
• dvija
• pāṇigrāha (marriage)
• tapas

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

It portrays tapas as transferable merit within dharmic bonds, emphasizing marriage as a sacral partnership tied to spiritual welfare.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse is within a tīrtha-māhātmya chapter but does not itself name a tīrtha; it advances the episode that supports the chapter’s place-glorification.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Pāṇigrāha (hand-taking) as the formal act of marriage is explicitly mentioned.