Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 80

Devanagari script

वीणां गृहीत्वा महतीं कक्षासक्तां सखीमिव । कृष्णाजिनोत्तरासंगो हेमयज्ञोपवीतवान्

Transliteration

vīṇāṃ gṛhītvā mahatīṃ kakṣāsaktāṃ sakhīmiva | kṛṣṇājinottarāsaṃgo hemayajñopavītavān

Translation

Saisissant une grande vīṇā, attachée à son flanc comme une compagne, il portait en vêtement supérieur la peau d’antilope noire et arborait le cordon sacré d’or.

Word by Word

• vīṇām: a vīṇā (lute)
• vīṇām: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vīṇā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; object of gṛhītvā

• gṛhītvā: having taken
• gṛhītvā: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √grah (धातु) → gṛhītvā (क्त्वान्त)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (gerund/absolutive); ‘having taken’

• mahatīm: great, large
• mahatīm: Visheshana (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mahat (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; qualifies vīṇām

• kakṣā-saktām: tucked at the side (under the arm)
• kakṣā-saktām: Visheshana (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kakṣā (प्रातिपदिक) + sakta (√sañj/√saj, क्त-कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष—‘attached to the side/under the arm’

• sakhīm: a female friend
• sakhīm: Upamana (Standard of comparison/उपमान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sakhī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; object of comparison with iva

• iva: like, as if
• iva: Upamana (Comparative marker/उपमान)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iva (अव्यय)
• Form: उपमानवाचक अव्यय (comparative particle)

• kṛṣṇa-ajina-uttara-āsaṅgaḥ: wearing a black deerskin as upper covering
• kṛṣṇa-ajina-uttara-āsaṅgaḥ: Visheshya (Predicate nominal/विधेय)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kṛṣṇa (प्रातिपदिक) + ajina (प्रातिपदिक) + uttara (प्रातिपदिक) + āsaṅga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष—‘one whose upper garment/covering is (a) black deerskin’

• hema-yajñopavīta-vān: having a golden sacred thread
• hema-yajñopavīta-vān: Visheshana (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: hema (प्रातिपदिक) + yajñopavīta (प्रातिपदिक) + -vant (तद्धित)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; वन्त-प्रत्ययान्त विशेषण—‘possessing a golden sacred thread’

Speaker

Sūta (descriptive narration)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Nārada stands with a large vīṇā slung at his side like a close companion; he wears a black antelope-skin over his shoulders and a gleaming golden sacred thread.

Characters & Entities

• Nārada
• Vīṇā
• Yajñopavīta

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The sage’s symbols (vīṇā, yajñopavīta, ascetic garb) portray a life where devotion, sacred knowledge, and discipline move together.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No site is named; the verse builds the sacred atmosphere through the revered figure of Nārada.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None directly; the mention of yajñopavīta implies Vedic discipline and ritual eligibility, but no specific act is commanded.