Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 50

Devanagari script

पिता पितामहो भ्राता सकुल्यो जननी तथा । कन्याप्रदः पूर्वनाशे प्रकृतिस्थः परःपरः

Transliteration

pitā pitāmaho bhrātā sakulyo jananī tathā | kanyāpradaḥ pūrvanāśe prakṛtisthaḥ paraḥparaḥ

Translation

Le père, le grand-père, le frère, le parent du clan, et aussi la mère : chacun est autorité pour donner la jeune fille en mariage. Si le précédent est absent ou n’est plus en mesure d’agir, le suivant, selon l’ordre convenable, devient l’autorité légitime.

Word by Word

• पिता: father
• पिता: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पितृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• पितामहः: grandfather
• पितामहः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पितामह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• भ्राता: brother
• भ्राता: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भ्रातृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• सकुल्यः: kinsman (of same family)
• सकुल्यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सकुल्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• जननी: mother
• जननी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जननी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• तथा: and also
• तथा: Sambandha (Conjunction/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय/प्रकारवाचक (thus/also)

• कन्या-प्रदः: giver of the maiden (in marriage)
• कन्या-प्रदः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कन्या (प्रातिपदिक) + प्रद (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; प्र + दा धातु, कर्तरि 'प्रद')
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; उपपद-तत्पुरुषः (कन्यां प्रददाति इति)

• पूर्व-नाशे: in the earlier destruction/at the prior loss
• पूर्व-नाशे: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पूर्व (प्रातिपदिक) + नाश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/अधिकरण), एकवचन; कर्मधारय/तत्पुरुष-भावः (पूर्वः नाशः)

• प्रकृति-स्थः: remaining in (one's) natural state
• प्रकृति-स्थः: Karta (Predicate/विधेय)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्रकृति (प्रातिपदिक) + स्थ (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; स्था धातु, क्त/कृदन्त-भाव)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (प्रकृतौ स्थितः)

• परः: supreme/other
• परः: Karta (Predicate/विधेय)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• अपरः: non-supreme/another (the other)
• अपरः: Karta (Predicate/विधेय)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अपर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda → Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī (contextual)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: null

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A formal assembly: father, grandfather, brother, clan elder, and mother seated in order, with a maiden and a prospective groom; a priest indicates the sequence of authority with a palm-leaf text.

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

It frames marriage duties as ordered responsibilities, preserving dharmic continuity through a clear succession of guardians.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific tīrtha is named; the verse is a dharma-rule within the Kāśī Khaṇḍa’s instructional passages.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

It outlines who may perform kanyādāna, and the order of eligibility when the primary guardian is unavailable.