Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 33

Devanagari script

पत्नी ३ पत्नीति विप्रेन्द्राः प्रोच्चैस्तत्र व्यवस्थिताः

Transliteration

patnī 3 patnīti viprendrāḥ proccaistatra vyavasthitāḥ

Translation

Là, les brāhmanes les plus éminents, demeurant à leur place, s’écrièrent à haute voix : « Patnī ! Patnī ! » (« L’Épouse ! L’Épouse ! »).

Word by Word

• पत्नी: (the word) ‘wife’
• पत्नी: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पत्नी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; संबोधनार्थे/उक्तिविषयः (as uttered word)

• पत्नी: ‘wife’ (again)
• पत्नी: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पत्नी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; पुनरुक्ति (repetition)

• इति: thus/‘…’
• इति: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति (अव्यय)
• Form: उक्तिसूचक-अव्यय (quotative particle)

• विप्रेन्द्राः: chief Brahmins
• विप्रेन्द्राः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विप्रेन्द्र (प्रातिपदिक: विप्र + इन्द्र)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), बहुवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (विप्राणाम् इन्द्राः)

• प्रोच्चैः: aloud, loudly
• प्रोच्चैः: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: प्र + उच्चैः (अव्यय)
• Form: क्रियाविशेषण-अव्यय (adverb); ‘loudly/aloud’

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (locative adverb)

• व्यवस्थिताः: standing/assembled
• व्यवस्थिताः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वि + अव + स्था (धाातु) → व्यवस्थित (कृदन्त, क्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), बहुवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त भूतकर्मणि/स्थित्यर्थे (past participle: ‘having stood/being stationed’)

Speaker

Sūta (narration of the ritual call)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A Vedic sacrificial pavilion with seated ṛtviks and foremost brāhmaṇas standing in assigned stations, raising their hands and calling out ‘Patnī! Patnī!’ as the rite pauses awaiting the consort.

Characters & Entities

• Brāhmaṇas (Viprendrāḥ)
• Patnī (consort)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharma in yajña emphasizes wholeness and right order—certain rites are incomplete without the proper companion-participant (patnī).

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The yajña setting within the Nāgara-khaṇḍa kṣetra is highlighted as a strictly rule-governed sacred arena where Vedic protocol is enforced.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

The explicit insistence on “patnī” indicates the ritual requirement of the wife/consort’s presence for the sacrifice’s validity.