Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 15

Devanagari script

भार्यायै प्रददौ पूर्वं ब्राह्म्यं च चरुमुत्त मम् । अब्रवीत्प्राशयित्वैनमश्वत्थालिंगनं कुरु

Transliteration

bhāryāyai pradadau pūrvaṃ brāhmyaṃ ca carumutta mam | abravītprāśayitvainamaśvatthāliṃganaṃ kuru

Translation

Mula-mula ia memberikan kepada istrinya caru terbaik yang berdaya brāhmaṇa, lalu berkata: “Sesudah membuatnya menyantapnya sebagai prasāda, peluklah pohon aśvattha.”

Word by Word

• भार्यायै: to (his) wife
• भार्यायै: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भार्या (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (4th/सम्प्रदान), एकवचन

• प्रददौ: gave
• प्रददौ: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र + दा (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• पूर्वम्: first
• पूर्वम्: Kriya-visheshana (Temporal/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पूर्व (प्रातिपदिक/अव्ययीभाव)
• Form: अव्यय (कालवाचक क्रियाविशेषण), ‘first/before’

• ब्राह्म्यम्: Brahminical
• ब्राह्म्यम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ब्राह्म्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; विशेषण (चरु-विशेषण)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय

• चरुम्: caru oblation
• चरुम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चरु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• उत्तमम्: excellent, best
• उत्तमम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: उत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; विशेषण (चरु-विशेषण)

• अब्रवीत्: said
• अब्रवीत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ब्रू (धातु)
• Form: लङ् (imperfect/past), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• प्राशयित्वा: having fed (him)
• प्राशयित्वा: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र + अश् (धातु) (णिच्)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्ययकृदन्त; णिच्-प्रयोग (causative), ‘having made (someone) eat’

• एनम्: him/this (person)
• एनम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• अश्वत्थ-आलिङ्गनम्: embracing the aśvattha tree
• अश्वत्थ-आलिङ्गनम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अश्वत्थ (प्रातिपदिक) + आलिङ्गन (प्रातिपदिक; आ + लिङ्ग्/लिङ्ग् ‘to embrace’ से भाव)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (अश्वत्थस्य आलिङ्गनम्)

• कुरु: do (you)
• कुरु: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (imperative), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

Speaker

Sūta narrating (deduced); instruction attributed to Ṛcīka within the narration

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: dvijāḥ (addressed earlier in passage)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Ṛcīka hands the brāhma-tejas caru to his wife; she partakes reverently; then she embraces a broad-trunked aśvattha with hanging roots and fluttering leaves; the āśrama glows with sanctity.

Characters & Entities

• Ṛcīka
• Wife
• Caru
• Aśvattha tree

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharma operates through prescribed sacred acts where nature (trees like aśvattha) becomes a vessel for auspicious transformation.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific tīrtha is named in this verse; the aśvattha appears as a sacred support within the chapter’s māhātmya setting.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Partaking of the brāhmya-carū and performing aśvattha-āliṅgana (embracing the sacred fig tree).