Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 73

Devanagari script

सूत उवाच । ततः पाणिग्रहं चक्रे तस्या देवः पितामहः । कृत्वा सोमं ततो मूर्ध्नि गृह्योक्तविधिना द्विजाः

Transliteration

sūta uvāca | tataḥ pāṇigrahaṃ cakre tasyā devaḥ pitāmahaḥ | kṛtvā somaṃ tato mūrdhni gṛhyoktavidhinā dvijāḥ

Translation

Sūta dit : « Alors le divin Pitāmaha (Brahmā) accomplit pour elle le rite de la prise de la main. Ensuite, les deux-fois-nés, selon les injonctions gṛhya, déposèrent Soma sur le sommet de sa tête. »

Word by Word

• sūtaḥ: Sūta
• sūtaḥ: Karta (Speaker/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sūta (सूत प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriyā (Speech act/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (वच् धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• tataḥ: then
• tataḥ: Sambandha (Sequence/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tataḥ (ततः अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रम/अनन्तरवाचक (adverb: then/thereupon)

• pāṇigraham: hand-taking (marriage rite)
• pāṇigraham: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pāṇigraha (पाणिग्रह प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समासः

• cakre: performed
• cakre: Kriyā (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kṛ (कृ धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, आत्मनेपद

• tasyāḥ: of her
• tasyāḥ: Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (तद् सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/6th), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• devaḥ: the god
• devaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deva (देव प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• pitāmahaḥ: the grandsire (Brahmā)
• pitāmahaḥ: Karta (Apposition to devaḥ/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pitāmaha (पितामह प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• kṛtvā: having done
• kṛtvā: Kriyā-viśeṣaṇa (Prior action/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: kṛ (कृ धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय (gerund/absolutive): having done

• somam: Soma (moon / soma)
• somam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: soma (सोम प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• tataḥ: then
• tataḥ: Sambandha (Sequence/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tataḥ (ततः अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अनन्तरवाचक (then)

• mūrdhni: on the head
• mūrdhni: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mūrdhan (मूर्धन् प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• gṛhyokta-vidhinā: by the rite prescribed in the Gṛhya (texts)
• gṛhyokta-vidhinā: Karaṇa (Means/manner/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gṛhya (गृह्य) + ukta (उक्त) + vidhi (विधि) (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समासः (गृह्ये उक्तः विधिः = the procedure stated in the Gṛhya-sūtras)

• dvijāḥ: the twice-born (brāhmaṇas)
• dvijāḥ: Karta (Agents/assistants/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dvija (द्विज प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

Speaker

Sūta

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Brahmā performs pāṇigrahaṇa; Brāhmaṇa priests chant; a luminous Soma emblem (crescent/moon-disc or Soma-plant) is ceremonially placed upon the bride’s head; sacred fire and ritual vessels glow.

Characters & Entities

• Sūta
• Brahmā (Pitāmaha)
• Brāhmaṇas (Dvijas)
• Soma
• Gṛhya-sūtra rite

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred outcomes depend on correct rite: when dharma is followed (gṛhya-vidhi), divine order is stabilized.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse is within a Tīrthamāhātmya framework but does not name a particular tirtha in this line.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Pāṇigraha is performed, and a gṛhya-prescribed act involving Soma placed on the bride’s head is described.