Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 161

Devanagari script

अभद्रेण सुभद्रेण श्वशुरेण दुरात्मना । एतज्जानाम्यहं विप्रा गोत्रं वासिष्ठमेव वा

Transliteration

abhadreṇa subhadreṇa śvaśureṇa durātmanā | etajjānāmyahaṃ viprā gotraṃ vāsiṣṭhameva vā

Translation

Wahai para Brāhmaṇa, hanya ini yang kuketahui—dari mertuaku yang berhati jahat, Abhadra putra Subhadra—bahwa gotraku adalah Vāsiṣṭha.

Word by Word

• abhadreṇa: by/with an unfortunate (one)
• abhadreṇa: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: a-bhadra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/करण), एकवचन; नञ्-समास-पूर्वपद (a- = negation)

• subhadreṇa: by/with an auspicious (one)
• subhadreṇa: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: su-bhadra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/करण), एकवचन; उपसर्ग-पूर्वपद su-

• śvaśureṇa: by/with the father-in-law
• śvaśureṇa: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śvaśura (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/करण), एकवचन

• durātmanā: by/with an evil-minded (one)
• durātmanā: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dur-ātman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय-समास (दुरः आत्मा यस्य/दुरात्मा = evil-souled); पुल्लिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/करण), एकवचन

• etat: this
• etat: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: etat (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन

• jānāmi: I know
• jānāmi: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √jñā (धातु)
• Form: लट् (present), परस्मैपद; उत्तमपुरुष (1st person), एकवचन

• aham: I
• aham: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• viprāḥ: O Brahmins
• viprāḥ: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vipra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th/सम्बोधन), बहुवचन

• gotram: clan/lineage
• gotram: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gotra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन

• vāsiṣṭham: Vāsiṣṭha (of Vasiṣṭha)
• vāsiṣṭham: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vāsiṣṭha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; gotram इति विशेषण

• eva: indeed/only
• eva: Sambandha (Emphasis/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारणार्थक-अव्यय (emphatic particle)

• vā: or
• vā: Sambandha (Alternative/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vā (अव्यय)
• Form: विकल्पार्थक-अव्यय (disjunctive particle)

Speaker

The pilgrim/unknown man

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The speaker, anxious yet honest, tells the brāhmaṇas that he only knows his gotra as Vāsiṣṭha, information received from a cruel father-in-law; the brāhmaṇas listen gravely.

Characters & Entities

• Vasiṣṭha
• Vāsiṣṭha-gotra
• Brāhmaṇa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

When lineage knowledge is fragmented or unreliable, dharma still seeks a compassionate, procedure-based path to purification.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse is part of a tīrtha-context dialogue but does not itself name the tīrtha; it focuses on identity needed for śuddhi.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

It supplies partial gotra information (Vāsiṣṭha) relevant to determining proper śuddhi rites.