Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 18

Devanagari script

एवं ज्ञात्वा न मां तात त्वमन्यस्मिन्महीपतौ । दातुमर्हसि धर्मोऽयं न भवेच्छाश्वतो यतः

Transliteration

evaṃ jñātvā na māṃ tāta tvamanyasminmahīpatau | dātumarhasi dharmo'yaṃ na bhavecchāśvato yataḥ

Translation

Sachant cela, ô père, tu ne dois pas me donner à un autre roi. Telle est la règle du dharma ; autrement, elle ne demeurerait pas durable.

Word by Word

• एवम्: thus
• एवम्: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एवम् (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रकारवाचक अव्यय (adverb: thus)

• ज्ञात्वा: having known
• ज्ञात्वा: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ज्ञा (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्यय (absolutive/gerund): having known

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक अव्यय (negative particle)

• माम्: me
• माम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तमपुरुष-सर्वनाम, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन (Singular)

• तात: O father
• तात: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तात (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th/Vocative), एकवचन (Singular)

• त्वम्: you
• त्वम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: मध्यमपुरुष-सर्वनाम, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

• अन्यस्मिन्: in another
• अन्यस्मिन्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अन्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन (Singular); विशेषण of 'महीपतौ'

• महीपतौ: in (relation to) a king
• महीपतौ: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महीपति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन (Singular)

• दातुम्: to give
• दातुम्: Prayojana (Purpose/प्रयोजन)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: दा (धातु)
• Form: तुमुन्-प्रत्ययान्त (infinitive): to give

• अर्हसि: should; are fit
• अर्हसि: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अर्ह् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd person), एकवचन (Singular), परस्मैपद

• धर्मः: dharma; rule
• धर्मः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धर्म (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

• अयम्: this
• अयम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन (Singular); 'धर्मः' इति विशेष्यस्य सर्वनाम

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक अव्यय (negative particle)

• भवेत्: would be
• भवेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular), परस्मैपद

• शाश्वतः: eternal; permanent
• शाश्वतः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शाश्वत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन (Singular); विशेषण of 'धर्मः'

• यतः: because
• यतः: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यतः (अव्यय)
• Form: हेतुवाचक अव्यय (causal indeclinable: because/since)

Speaker

Ratnāvatī

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Ānarta

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Ratnāvatī, hands folded or in earnest gesture, addresses her father as 'tāta', invoking dharma’s permanence; the father appears conflicted.

Characters & Entities

• Ratnāvatī
• father (tāta)
• mahīpati (king)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharma is upheld by consistency and fidelity to commitments; breaking them undermines its enduring authority.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No site is named in this verse; it is a dharma-argument within the Tīrthamāhātmya narrative.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

It concerns kanyā-dāna norms (the propriety of giving a daughter in marriage) rather than a separate ritual.