Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 55

Devanagari script

भर्तारं श्वापदोत्थं च भयं हृदि वितन्वती । उपविश्य ततो भूमौ स्पृष्ट्वा पादौ पतेस्तदा । प्रोवाच दीर्घिका वाक्यं तारवाक्येन दुःखिता

Transliteration

bhartāraṃ śvāpadotthaṃ ca bhayaṃ hṛdi vitanvatī | upaviśya tato bhūmau spṛṣṭvā pādau patestadā | provāca dīrghikā vākyaṃ tāravākyena duḥkhitā

Translation

Con temor en el corazón —por su esposo y por las fieras— se sentó en el suelo. Luego, tocando los pies de su marido, Dīrghikā, afligida por palabras ásperas, pronunció estas palabras.

Word by Word

• भर्तारम्: (her) husband
• भर्तारम्: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भर्तृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन

• श्वापदोत्थम्: arising from wild beasts
• श्वापदोत्थम्: Karma (Object qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: श्वापद (प्रातिपदिक) + उत्थ (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन; समास: श्वापदात् उत्थम् (पञ्चमी-तत्पुरुष: 'arising from wild beasts')

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय

• भयम्: fear
• भयम्: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन

• हृदि: in (her) heart
• हृदि: Adhikaraṇa (Locative)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हृद् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; सप्तमी (7th/अधिकरण), एकवचन

• वितन्वती: spreading/creating
• वितन्वती: Karta (Agent participle)
• Type: Verb
• Root: तन् (धातु)
• Form: वर्तमानकाले शतृ-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (present active participle); स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; उपसर्ग-वि (spreading/producing)

• उपविश्य: having sat down
• उपविश्य: Pūrvakāla-kriyā (Prior action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: विश् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्ययकृदन्त; उपसर्ग-उप (having sat down)

• ततः: then
• ततः: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial modifier)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अनन्तर्य/कालवाचक (then)

• भूमौ: on the ground
• भूमौ: Adhikaraṇa (Locative)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भूमि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; सप्तमी (7th/अधिकरण), एकवचन

• स्पृष्ट्वा: having touched
• स्पृष्ट्वा: Pūrvakāla-kriyā (Prior action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्पृश् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (absolutive); (having touched)

• पादौ: (his) two feet
• पादौ: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), द्विवचन

• पतेः: of (her) lord/husband
• पतेः: Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; षष्ठी (6th/सम्बन्ध), एकवचन

• तदा: then
• तदा: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Temporal adverb)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तदा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक (then/at that time)

• प्रोवाच: said
• प्रोवाच: Kriyā (Predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (परोक्षभूत/Perfect); प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद; उपसर्ग-प्र (spoke)

• दीर्घिका: Dīrghikā
• दीर्घिका: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दीर्घिका (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st/कर्ता), एकवचन; व्यक्तिनाम (proper name)

• वाक्यम्: words/speech
• वाक्यम्: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वाक्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन

• तारवाक्येन: by Tārā's words
• तारवाक्येन: Karaṇa (Instrument)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तार (प्रातिपदिक) + वाक्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; तृतीया (3rd/करण), एकवचन; समास: तारस्य वाक्येन (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: 'by Tārā's words')

• दुःखिता: sorrowful
• दुःखिता: Karta (Subject qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दुःखित (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st/कर्ता), एकवचन; भूतकृदन्त-प्रायः (afflicted/sorrowful)

Speaker

Narrator (contextual)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: In a tense forest clearing, the wife sits, touches her husband’s feet in reverence, her face distressed yet composed, while unseen wild beasts are implied at the edges.

Characters & Entities

• Dīrghikā
• Śvāpadāḥ (wild beasts, generic)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Even amid danger and suffering, reverence, humility, and steadfast duty are upheld as the heart of dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse is within a tīrtha-māhātmya narrative arc, but the specific place-name is not present in this excerpt.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No formal ritual; the dharmic gesture shown is pāda-sparśa (touching the feet) as an act of reverence.