Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 3

Devanagari script

सावित्री च कथं जाता तां ज्ञात्वा यज्ञमण्डपे । पत्नीशालां प्रविष्टां च सर्वं नो विस्तराद्वद

Transliteration

sāvitrī ca kathaṃ jātā tāṃ jñātvā yajñamaṇḍape | patnīśālāṃ praviṣṭāṃ ca sarvaṃ no vistarādvada

Translation

«Comment Sāvitrī se trouva-t-elle mêlée à cela ? Et, ayant compris ce qui se passa dans le pavillon du sacrifice—comment elle entra dans la salle des épouses—dis-nous tout en détail.»

Word by Word

• sāvitrī: Sāvitrī
• sāvitrī: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sāvitrī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयार्थक-निपातः

• katham: how
• katham: Sambandha (Question/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: katham (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रश्नार्थक-क्रियाविशेषणम् (interrogative adverb)

• jātā: was born; arose
• jātā: Kriya (Action-state/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √jan (धातु) + kta (कृत्)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्तः; स्त्रीलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम् (predicate participle)

• tām: her
• tām: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (प्रातिपदिक; सर्वनाम)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे, द्वितीया-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम् (Accusative singular)

• jñātvā: having known
• jñātvā: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √jñā (धातु) + tvā (क्त्वा)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्ययकृदन्तः (gerund/absolutive)

• yajñamaṇḍape: in the sacrificial pavilion
• yajñamaṇḍape: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yajña-maṇḍapa (प्रातिपदिक; यज्ञ + मण्डप)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, सप्तमी-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम् (Locative singular)

• patnīśālām: the wives’ hall
• patnīśālām: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: patnī-śālā (प्रातिपदिक; पत्नी + शाला)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे, द्वितीया-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम् (Accusative singular)

• praviṣṭām: entered
• praviṣṭām: Karma (Object qualifier/कर्मविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pra-√viś (धातु) + kta (कृत्)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्तः; स्त्रीलिङ्गे, द्वितीया-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम् (agreeing with patnīśālām)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयार्थक-निपातः

• sarvam: everything
• sarvam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, द्वितीया-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम् (Accusative singular)

• naḥ: to us
• naḥ: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (प्रातिपदिक; सर्वनाम)
• Form: उत्तमपुरुष-सर्वनाम; षष्ठी/चतुर्थी-बहुवचनरूपम् (enclitic); अत्र चतुर्थी (to us)

• vistarāt: in detail
• vistarāt: Kriya-visheshana (Manner/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vistara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, पञ्चमी-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम् (Ablative singular); क्रियाविशेषणार्थे (in detail)

• vada: tell; speak
• vada: Kriya (Command/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √vad (धातु)
• Form: लोट्-लकारः (Imperative), मध्यमपुरुषः, एकवचनम्; परस्मैपदम्

Speaker

Ṛṣayaḥ (Sages)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Brahma-yajña maṇḍapa locus (within Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra narrative)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Sūta

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Sages lean forward, asking for a full account; behind them, the yajña pavilion is shown with a side chamber labeled patnīśālā, its doorway about to be crossed by Sāvitrī.

Characters & Entities

• Sāvitrī
• Yajñamaṇḍapa
• Patnīśālā

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Scriptural inquiry (praśna) is presented as a dharmic act—seeking clarity to understand sacred history and ritual propriety.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific tīrtha is named in this request-verse; it functions as a lead-in within the tīrtha-māhātmya narrative.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None directly; it references the yajña-maṇḍapa and patnīśālā as ritual spaces.