Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 16
Devanagari script
अतोऽत्र युवयोरैको नारीविभ्रमवेषधृक् । एकस्तस्या पतिर्भूत्वा जायेतां विप्रदंपती
Transliteration
ato'tra yuvayoraiko nārīvibhramaveṣadhṛk | ekastasyā patirbhūtvā jāyetāṃ vipradaṃpatī
Translation
અતએવ અહીં તમામાંથી એકે સ્ત્રીનો વેશ અને ભાવ ધારણ કરવો, અને બીજાએ તેનો પતિ બની—તમે બંને બ્રાહ્મણ દંપતીરૂપે દેખાવ।
Word by Word
ataḥtherefore
ataḥ:
Sambandha (Discourse connector/सम्बन्ध)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootatas (अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक)
Formअव्यय (indeclinable), कारण/निगमनार्थक (therefore/so)
atrahere
atra:
Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootatra (अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक)
Formअव्यय (indeclinable), देशवाचक (locative adverb: here)
yuvayoḥof you two
yuvayoḥ:
Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
TypeNoun
Rootyuvam (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
Formसर्वनाम (pronoun), षष्ठी विभक्ति (6th/genitive), द्विवचन (dual)
ekaḥone (person)
ekaḥ:
Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
TypeNoun
Rooteka (प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुंलिङ्ग (masculine), प्रथमा विभक्ति (1st/nominative), एकवचन (singular)
nārī-vibhrama-veṣa-dhṛkwearing a womanly-disguise attire
nārī-vibhrama-veṣa-dhṛk:
Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
TypeAdjective
Rootnārī (प्रातिपदिक) + vibhrama (प्रातिपदिक) + veṣa (प्रातिपदिक) + dhṛ (धातु)
Formसमास: तत्पुरुष (determinative); धृक् = धृ धातोः कृत्-प्रत्ययान्त (कृदन्त), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; अर्थः—नारीविभ्रमस्य वेषं धारयन् (wearing a womanly-disguise attire)
ekaḥone (other)
ekaḥ:
Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
TypeNoun
Rooteka (प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन
tasyāḥof her
tasyāḥ:
Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
TypeNoun
Roottad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
Formसर्वनाम, स्त्रीलिङ्ग (feminine), षष्ठी (genitive), एकवचन
patiḥhusband
patiḥ:
Karta (Subject complement/कर्ता-सम्बन्ध)
TypeNoun
Rootpati (प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन
bhūtvāhaving become
bhūtvā:
Kriya (Prior action/पूर्वक्रिया)
TypeVerb
Rootbhū (धातु)
Formक्त्वान्त अव्यय (gerund/absolutive), धातु: भू (to be), अर्थः—भूत्वा = having become
jāyetāmlet (you two) be born / become
jāyetām:
Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
TypeVerb
Rootjan (धातु)
Formलोट् लकार (imperative), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), द्विवचन (dual)
vipra-daṃpatīa brahmin couple (husband and wife)
vipra-daṃpatī:
Karta (Subject complement/कर्ता-सम्बन्ध)
TypeNoun
Rootvipra (प्रातिपदिक) + dampatī (प्रातिपदिक)
Formसमास: कर्मधारय (descriptive); पुंलिङ्ग (द्वन्द्वार्थे दम्पती—dual couple), प्रथमा, द्विवचन
Speaker
Rājā (king) (contextual; explicit ‘rājovāca’ appears in v.24, indicating the king is the speaker in this passage)
Characters & Entities
R
RājāD
Dvijakumārakau (two brāhmaṇa youths)FAQs
It frames a morally risky command—testing how dharma responds when authority demands deception.
No specific tīrtha is named in this verse; it is narrative and ethical in focus.
None; the verse concerns adopting a disguise and social role.