Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 48

Devanagari script

उद्गात्रा देव चात्मीयो मार्गः श्रुतिविवर्जितः । विहितः कन्यकां धृत्वा सदोमध्ये सुरेश्वर

Transliteration

udgātrā deva cātmīyo mārgaḥ śrutivivarjitaḥ | vihitaḥ kanyakāṃ dhṛtvā sadomadhye sureśvara

Translation

«Ô Seigneur, un prêtre Udgātṛ a institué une pratique de son cru, dépourvue d’autorité védique : il a placé une jeune fille au milieu de l’assemblée, ô souverain des dieux.»

Word by Word

• udgātrā: by the Udgātṛ (priest)
• udgātrā: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: udgātṛ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), एकवचन — ‘by the Udgātṛ priest’

• deva: O god
• deva: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th), एकवचन — ‘O god’

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (समुच्चय) — ‘and’

• ātmīyaḥ: one’s own
• ātmīyaḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ātmīya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन — ‘one’s own, personal’

• mārgaḥ: path
• mārgaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mārga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन — ‘path/way’

• śruti-vivarjitaḥ: devoid of śruti (Veda)
• śruti-vivarjitaḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śruti (प्रातिपदिक) + vivarjita (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; √vṛj/varj (धातु) + वि + क्त)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (पञ्चमी: ‘श्रुतेः विवर्जितः’), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन — ‘devoid of Vedic authority’

• vihitaḥ: is prescribed
• vihitaḥ: Kriya (Predicative/क्रिया-विशेष)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vihita (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; √dhā (धातु) + वि + क्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त, पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन — ‘prescribed/ordained’

• kanyakām: a maiden
• kanyakām: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kanyakā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन — ‘a maiden’

• dhṛtvā: having taken (holding)
• dhṛtvā: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: dhṛtvā (कृदन्त-अव्यय; √dhṛ (धातु) + क्त्वा)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय — ‘having taken/holding’

• sadaḥ-madhye: in the middle of the assembly
• sadaḥ-madhye: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sadas (प्रातिपदिक) + madhya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (सप्तमी: ‘सदसि मध्ये’), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन — ‘in the middle of the assembly’

• sureśvara: O lord of gods
• sureśvara: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sureśvara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th), एकवचन — ‘O lord of gods’

Speaker

Bhṛgu (addressing Brahmā / divine authority figure in context)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Brahmā (Pitāmaha)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Bhṛgu, hands folded, reports to Brahmā: an Udgātṛ has created a non-Vedic practice—placing a maiden in the center of the assembly.

Characters & Entities

• Bhṛgu
• Brahmā (implied addressee as Pitāmaha in prior verse)
• Udgātṛ
• Kanyakā (maiden)
• Sadas (assembly)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Even powerful religious acts must be aligned with śruti-smṛti dharma; Purāṇas uphold sacred innovation only when it does not contradict Vedic authority.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse focuses on ritual legitimacy in a divine assembly; the specific earthly tīrtha is not named in this shloka.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A contested practice is mentioned: placing a maiden in the center of an assembly as part of a self-made rite, criticized as ‘śruti-vivarjita’.