Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 24

Devanagari script

ततो नृपगृहे जाता तत्प्रभावाद्द्विजोत्तमाः । पूर्वकर्मविपाकेन संजाता विष कन्यका

Transliteration

tato nṛpagṛhe jātā tatprabhāvāddvijottamāḥ | pūrvakarmavipākena saṃjātā viṣa kanyakā

Translation

Puis, ô brahmanes éminents, sous l’influence de cet acte, elle naquit dans la maison du roi. Par la maturation de son karma passé, elle devint une «jeune fille de poison» (viṣakanyā).

Word by Word

• ततः: then
• ततः: Sambandha (Temporal/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अपादानार्थक/क्रमबोधक (then/from there)

• नृपगृहे: in the king's house
• नृपगृहे: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नृप-गृह (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन; नृपस्य गृहं इति षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः

• जाता: was born
• जाता: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: जन् (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकृत् (past passive participle/क्त), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; "born/come into being"

• तत्प्रभावात्: due to that influence/power
• तत्प्रभावात्: Hetu/Apadana (Cause/Ablative/हेतु/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद्-प्रभाव (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/पञ्चमी), एकवचन; तस्य प्रभावः इति षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः; ablative of cause

• द्विजोत्तमाः: O best of the twice-born (Brahmins)
• द्विजोत्तमाः: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्विज-उत्तम (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), बहुवचन; कर्मधारयः—"उत्तमाः द्विजाः"; संबोधन/उद्देश्यरूपेण (addressed)

• पूर्वकर्मविपाकेन: by the fruition of former karma
• पूर्वकर्मविपाकेन: Karana/Hetu (Instrument/Cause/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पूर्व-कर्म-विपाक (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), एकवचन; (पूर्वस्य कर्मणः) विपाकः इति षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः; instrumental of cause

• संजाता: was born/arose
• संजाता: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम्-जन् (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकृत् (past passive participle/क्त), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; "arisen/been born"

• विष: poison
• विष: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रातिपदिक-रूपेण पूर्वपद (compound member); here used as first member in compound with कन्यका

• कन्यका: a maiden/girl
• कन्यका: Karta (Subject complement/कर्ता-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कन्यका (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; here appositional: "(as) a maiden"; often forms compound विषकन्यका

Speaker

Sūta (deduced from immediate context; sages inquire next and Sūta answers thereafter)

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Ṛṣayaḥ

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A royal palace interior where a girl is born amid attendants; auspicious court imagery contrasts with subtle ominous signs—darkened aura near the infant, a serpent/poison motif in decorative shadows—signifying the viṣakanyā destiny.

Characters & Entities

• nṛpa (king)
• viṣakanyākā

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

It emphasizes karma-vipāka: past actions mature into concrete life circumstances, shaping birth and destiny.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

This verse is part of the Nāgarakhaṇḍa Tīrthamāhātmya flow; the explicit tīrtha description appears later in the same adhyāya (the pond/holy waters).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No direct ritual is prescribed in this verse; it sets up the karmic narrative used to frame the tīrtha’s sanctity.