Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 14

Devanagari script

अथ तेषां समस्तानां चंडाभूत्परिचारिका । पशुवक्त्रस्तथा भृत्यो विनयेन समवितः

Transliteration

atha teṣāṃ samastānāṃ caṃḍābhūtparicārikā | paśuvaktrastathā bhṛtyo vinayena samavitaḥ

Translation

પછી તેઓ સૌના સમક્ષ એક ચાંડાલ સ્ત્રી પરિચારિકા રૂપે પ્રગટ થઈ, અને પશુમુખવાળો એક સેવક પણ—બન્ને વિનયથી યુક્ત હતા।

Word by Word

• atha: then
• atha: Sambandha (Discourse marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atha (अव्यय)
• Form: अनन्तरवाचक-अव्ययम् (then/now)

• teṣām: of them
• teṣām: Sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठीसम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे (Masculine), षष्ठी (Genitive), बहुवचनम् (Plural)

• samastānām: of all (together)
• samastānām: Sambandha (Genitive qualifier/षष्ठी)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: samasta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गम् (Masculine), षष्ठी (Genitive), बहुवचनम् (Plural)

• caṇḍā: a Caṇḍāla woman
• caṇḍā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: caṇḍā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गम् (Feminine), प्रथमा (Nominative), एकवचनम् (Singular)

• abhūt: became/was
• abhūt: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: bhū (धातु)
• Form: लुङ् (Aorist), प्रथमपुरुषः (3rd person), एकवचनम् (Singular)

• paricārikā: attendant/maidservant
• paricārikā: Karta (Predicate nominative/कर्तृसम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: paricārikā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गम् (Feminine), प्रथमा (Nominative), एकवचनम् (Singular)

• paśu-vaktraḥ: animal-faced
• paśu-vaktraḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: paśu (प्रातिपदिक) + vaktra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गम् (Masculine), प्रथमा (Nominative), एकवचनम् (Singular); समासः—बहुव्रीहिः (paśu-vaktra: one whose face is like an animal)

• tathā: likewise
• tathā: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tathā (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्ययम् (likewise)

• bhṛtyaḥ: servant
• bhṛtyaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhṛtya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गम् (Masculine), प्रथमा (Nominative), एकवचनम् (Singular)

• vinayena: with humility/discipline
• vinayena: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vinaya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गम् (Masculine), तृतीया (Instrumental), एकवचनम् (Singular)

• samavitaḥ: endowed/possessed
• samavitaḥ: Karta (Qualifier/कर्तृविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sam-ā-√i (धातु)
• Form: क्त (past passive participle), पुंलिङ्गम् (Masculine), प्रथमा (Nominative), एकवचनम् (Singular)

Speaker

Narrator (Purāṇic narrator; unspecified in snippet)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Before the gaunt sages, a Caṇḍāla woman attendant appears with folded hands, and beside her a courteous servant with an animal-like face; the sages look surprised yet attentive, the air charged with omen.

Characters & Entities

• Caṇḍāla (as a social category)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purāṇic narratives often use unexpected figures to test humility and discernment; vinaya (courtesy) is highlighted as a dharmic virtue.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Not specified in this verse; it is a narrative transition within the tīrtha-māhātmya framework.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; the verse introduces characters who will influence subsequent events.