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

«Y en esto, especialmente me cuesta creerlo de las mujeres. Pues, inevitablemente, quien está en la juventud—aun si ha nacido en vientre animal—es impulsado por el deseo».

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.