Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 12

Devanagari script

स्वस्त्रीस्नेहकृतेयस्तु तं पत्नीभिरिति द्विजाः । जपेद्भार्या भवेत्साध्वी तस्य सा स्नेहवत्सला

Transliteration

svastrīsnehakṛteyastu taṃ patnībhiriti dvijāḥ | japedbhāryā bhavetsādhvī tasya sā snehavatsalā

Translation

Ô deux-fois-nés, celui qui récite ici le mantra commençant par « taṃ patnībhir … » afin d’obtenir l’affection de son épouse, voit son épouse devenir vertueuse et dévouée, l’aimant d’une tendresse constante.

Word by Word

• स्व-स्त्री-स्नेह-कृते: for (one’s) wife’s affection
• स्व-स्त्री-स्नेह-कृते: Hetu (हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्व (प्रातिपदिक) + स्त्री (प्रातिपदिक) + स्नेह (प्रातिपदिक) + कृत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; हेतौ/निमित्ते (for the sake of)

• यः: who
• यः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; सम्बन्धबोधक-सर्वनाम

• तु: but/indeed
• तु: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात (particle), विरोध/विशेषार्थ

• तम्: that (mantra)
• तम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• पत्नीभिः: with (the word) ‘wives’
• पत्नीभिः: Karana (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पत्नी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन

• इति: thus
• इति: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; उद्धरण/वाक्यसमाप्ति-सूचक (quotative)

• द्विजाः: O twice-born (Brahmins)
• द्विजाः: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्विज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; संबोधनार्थे अपि (vocative sense possible)

• जपेत्: should recite
• जपेत्: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: जप् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• भार्या: wife
• भार्या: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भार्या (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• भवेत्: would become
• भवेत्: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• साध्वी: virtuous
• साध्वी: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: साध्वी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; विशेषण

• तस्य: of him
• तस्य: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• सा: she
• सा: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• स्नेह-वत्सला: affectionate
• स्नेह-वत्सला: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्नेह (प्रातिपदिक) + वत्सल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; कर्मधारय (snehena vatsalā)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced from tīrthamāhātmya instructional style within Skanda Purāṇa)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: dvijāḥ

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A brāhmaṇa householder at a tīrtha shrine recites softly; behind him, a couple stands with joined hands, the wife depicted as calm and radiant, symbolizing sādhvī devotion and affectionate concord.

Characters & Entities

• Dvija (Brāhmaṇas)
• Mantra/Japa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Holy-place japa is presented as a dharmic means to restore harmony and virtue within household life.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse speaks within a Tīrthamāhātmya context of Nāgarakhaṇḍa, praising mantra-japa performed ‘here’ at the chapter’s described tīrtha (name not specified in the snippet).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Japa (repetition) of a specified Vedic mantra/ṛc beginning with “taṃ patnībhiḥ …” for the intended result.