Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 33

Devanagari script

सावित्र्युवाच । किमेतद्युज्यते कर्तुं तव वृद्ध तमाकृते । ऊढवानसि यत्पत्नीमेतां गोपसमुद्भवाम्

Transliteration

sāvitryuvāca | kimetadyujyate kartuṃ tava vṛddha tamākṛte | ūḍhavānasi yatpatnīmetāṃ gopasamudbhavām

Translation

Sāvitrī dit : «Comment cela peut-il convenir que tu fasses une telle chose, toi qui es âgé et de telle apparence : avoir pris pour épouse cette femme née de la communauté des gardiens de vaches ?»

Word by Word

• सावित्री: Sāvitrī
• सावित्री: Karta (Speaker/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सावित्री (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-विभक्ति; एकवचन

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect); प्रथम-पुरुष; एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• किम्: what
• किम्: Karma (object of ‘yujyate’)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति; एकवचन (interrogative)

• एतत्: this
• एतत्: Karma (object; apposition to किम्)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति; एकवचन (demonstrative)

• युज्यते: is proper; is fitting
• युज्यते: Kriya (Predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: युज् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present); प्रथम-पुरुष; एकवचन; आत्मनेपद; कर्मणि-प्रयोग (passive)

• कर्तुम्: to do
• कर्तुम्: Prayojana (purpose/complement)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: तुमुन्-प्रत्ययान्त (infinitive); ‘to do’

• तव: of you; your
• तव: Sambandha (possessor)
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्वद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-विभक्ति (6th/Genitive); एकवचन

• वृद्ध: O old one
• वृद्ध: Sambodhana (Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वृद्ध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative); एकवचन

• तमाकृते: in a dark form/appearance
• तमाकृते: Adhikarana (reference/locative)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तम्-आकृति (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; सप्तमी-विभक्ति; एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (तमस्याः आकृतिः/तमः-आकृतिः)

• ऊढवान्: have married
• ऊढवान्: Kriya (with असि)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वह् (धातु) → ऊढवत् (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्तवत्); पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-विभक्ति; एकवचन; ‘having married’ (periphrastic perfect sense)

• असि: you are (have)
• असि: Kriya (auxiliary)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present); मध्यम-पुरुष; एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• यत्: since; because
• यत्: Sambandha (causal connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय-प्रयोग; हेत्वर्थे/यतः (since/because)

• पत्नीम्: wife
• पत्नीम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पत्नी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; द्वितीया-विभक्ति; एकवचन

• एताम्: this (woman)
• एताम्: Karma (object qualifier)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; द्वितीया-विभक्ति; एकवचन

• गोपसमुद्भवाम्: born from a cowherd
• गोपसमुद्भवाम्: Karma (object qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: गोप-समुद्भवा (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; द्वितीया-विभक्ति; एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (गोपात् समुद्भवा)

Speaker

Sāvitrī

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: her husband (addressed directly)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Close focus on Sāvitrī addressing her husband: her finger raised in accusation; the co-wife stands slightly behind, modest or anxious; elders/sages in the background; the yajña fire glows, underscoring the public nature of the rebuke.

Characters & Entities

• Sāvitrī
• gopa (cowherd community)
• pati (husband; contextually Brahmā)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Propriety (aucitya) and faithfulness are presented as integral to dharma; ritual status cannot excuse personal wrongdoing.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific tīrtha is identified in this spoken verse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it is a moral confrontation within a yajña narrative.