Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 79

Devanagari script

तच्छ्रुत्वा वचनं तेषां सावित्री भ्रांतलोचना । दुःखशोकसमोपेता बाष्पव्याकुललोचना

Transliteration

tacchrutvā vacanaṃ teṣāṃ sāvitrī bhrāṃtalocanā | duḥkhaśokasamopetā bāṣpavyākulalocanā

Translation

«À ces paroles, les yeux de Sāvitrī se troublèrent; envahie de peine et de chagrin, son regard se brouilla de larmes.»

Word by Word

• tat: that
• tat: Karma (Object of hearing/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन; सर्वनाम (Neuter accusative singular)

• śrutvā: having heard
• śrutvā: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial action/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: √śru (श्रु धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय (gerund); पूर्वक्रिया (absolutive)

• vacanam: speech, words
• vacanam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vacana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन (Accusative singular)

• teṣām: of them
• teṣām: Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6), बहुवचन; सर्वनाम (Genitive plural)

• sāvitrī: Sāvitrī
• sāvitrī: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sāvitrī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन (Feminine nominative singular)

• bhrāṃta-locanā: with bewildered eyes
• bhrāṃta-locanā: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: bhrānta (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; √bhram) + locanā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; कर्मधारय-समास (Feminine nominative singular; 'having bewildered eyes')

• duḥkha-śoka-samopetā: overcome with grief and sorrow
• duḥkha-śoka-samopetā: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: duḥkha (प्रातिपदिक) + śoka (प्रातिपदिक) + samupeta (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; sam-ud-√i)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; तृतीया/सह-भावार्थे तत्पुरुष (duḥkhaśokaiḥ samupetā) (Feminine nominative singular; accompanied by grief and sorrow)

• bāṣpa-vyākula-locanā: with tear-troubled eyes
• bāṣpa-vyākula-locanā: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: bāṣpa (प्रातिपदिक) + vyākula (प्रातिपदिक) + locanā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; कर्मधारय-समास (Feminine nominative singular; eyes agitated with tears)

Speaker

Narrator

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Hāṭakeśvara Mahākṣetra (Sāvitrī-smṛti locus)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Close focus on Sāvitrī: eyes bewildered, tears welling; her posture conveys shock and sorrow as the brāhmaṇas’ words sink in.

Characters & Entities

• Sāvitrī
• Gāyatrī (implied by prior context)
• Dvijās/Brāhmaṇas (implied)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purāṇic tīrtha stories portray how attachment and honor can stir grief—yet these emotions become part of the moral and sacred geography of the kṣetra.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The episode is situated in the Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra narrative of the Nāgarakhaṇḍa’s Tīrthamāhātmya.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it describes Sāvitrī’s emotional response to the announcement.