Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 24

Devanagari script

युधिष्ठिर उवाच । अभार्यास्ते महातेजा गोजा अनुचरास्तथा । उद्वाहिता कथं ब्रह्मन्त्सुतास्तेषां कदाऽभवन्

Transliteration

yudhiṣṭhira uvāca | abhāryāste mahātejā gojā anucarāstathā | udvāhitā kathaṃ brahmantsutāsteṣāṃ kadā'bhavan

Translation

Yudhiṣṭhira dit : «Ô toi d’un grand éclat, ces serviteurs nés de la Vache étaient sans épouses. Ô Brahmane, comment furent-ils mariés, et quand eurent-ils des enfants ?»

Word by Word

• युधिष्ठिरः: Yudhiṣṭhira
• युधिष्ठिरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युधिष्ठिर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular), परस्मैपद

• अभार्याः: without wives
• अभार्याः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अ-भार्या (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), बहुवचन (Plural)

• ते: they
• ते: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), बहुवचन (Plural)

• महातेजाः: of great splendor
• महातेजाः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महत् + तेजस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), बहुवचन (Plural); समासः—षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (महत्तेजसः)

• गोजाः: cow-born (offspring of cows)
• गोजाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गो + ज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), बहुवचन (Plural); समासः—तत्पुरुष (गोभ्यः जाताः/गोजाः)

• अनुचराः: attendants
• अनुचराः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अनुचर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), बहुवचन (Plural)

• तथा: also/likewise
• तथा: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रकार/समुच्चयार्थक (adverb: 'thus/also')

• उद्वाहिताः: married (given in marriage)
• उद्वाहिताः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: उद्-वाह् (धातु) + क्त (प्रत्यय)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (Past Passive Participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), बहुवचन (Plural)

• कथम्: how
• कथम्: Prashna (Interrogative/प्रश्न)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: कथम् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रश्नार्थक क्रियाविशेषण (interrogative adverb)

• ब्रह्मन्: O Brahman (sage)
• ब्रह्मन्: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, संबोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative), एकवचन (Singular)

• सुताः: sons
• सुताः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सुत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), बहुवचन (Plural)

• तेषाम्: of them
• तेषाम्: Shashthi-Sambandha (Possessor/षष्ठी-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive), बहुवचन (Plural)

• कदा: when
• कदा: Prashna (Interrogative/प्रश्न)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: कदा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रश्नार्थक कालवाचक (interrogative adverb of time)

• अभवन्: were/became
• अभवन्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: लङ्-लकार (Imperfect), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन (Plural), परस्मैपद

Speaker

Yudhiṣṭhira

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Yudhiṣṭhira (as questioner)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A forest-hermitage discourse: Yudhiṣṭhira seated respectfully before Vyāsa, asking about cow-born attendants who were wife-less and how their marriages and children came to be.

Characters & Entities

• Yudhiṣṭhira
• Vyāsa (addressed as Brahman)
• Gojā anucarās (cow-born attendants)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharma is sustained through orderly social continuity—marriage and progeny are treated as part of cosmic and societal stability.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

None in this verse; it is a narrative question within the Dharmāraṇya-khaṇḍa dialogue.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No ritual is prescribed; the verse asks about udvāha (marriage) as a dharmic institution.