Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 55

Devanagari script

व्यालग्राही यथा व्यालं बलादुद्धरते बिलात । एवमुत्क्रम्य दूतेभ्यः पतिं स्वर्गं नयेत्सती

Transliteration

vyālagrāhī yathā vyālaṃ balāduddharate bilāta | evamutkramya dūtebhyaḥ patiṃ svargaṃ nayetsatī

Translation

蛇使いが力をもって蛇を穴から引き出すように、貞節なるサティー（satī）は使者らに抗して立ち上がり、夫を天界へ導く。

Word by Word

• व्यालग्राही: a snake-catcher
• व्यालग्राही: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vyāla + grāhin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा (Nominative/कर्ता), एकवचन (Singular); उपपद-तत्पुरुष: व्यालं गृह्णाति इति

• यथा: as, just as
• यथा: Sambandha (Comparative marker/उपमान)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yathā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (Avyaya), उपमानवाचक/समुच्चयार्थ (comparative particle: 'as')

• व्यालम्: a snake
• व्यालम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vyāla (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), द्वितीया (Accusative/कर्म), एकवचन (Singular)

• बलात्: by force
• बलात्: Karana (Means/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), पञ्चमी (Ablative used adverbially), एकवचन (Singular); हेतौ/प्रकारे—‘by force/forcibly’

• उद्धरते: pulls out, extracts
• उद्धरते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ud√hṛ (धातु: हृ)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular), आत्मनेपद (Ātmanepada); उपसर्ग: उद्-

• बिलात्: from a hole/burrow
• बिलात्: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bila (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), पञ्चमी (Ablative/अपादान), एकवचन (Singular)

• एवम्: thus
• एवम्: Kriya-vishesana (Adverbial modifier/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: evam (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (Avyaya), प्रकारवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (adverb of manner)

• उत्क्रम्य: having overstepped/escaped
• उत्क्रम्य: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action/पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ut√kram (धातु: क्रम्)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (Gerund/Absolutive), पूर्वकाल (having done); उपसर्ग: उत्-

• दूतेभ्यः: from the messengers
• दूतेभ्यः: Apadana (Source/Separation/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dūta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), पञ्चमी (Ablative/अपादान), बहुवचन (Plural)

• पतिम्: husband
• पतिम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pati (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), द्वितीया (Accusative/कर्म), एकवचन (Singular)

• स्वर्गम्: to heaven
• स्वर्गम्: Gati/Karma (Goal/गति)
• Type: Noun
• Root: svarga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), द्वितीया (Accusative used as goal/गति), एकवचन (Singular)

• नयेत्: should lead
• नयेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √nī (धातु: नी)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular), परस्मैपद (Parasmaipada)

• सती: the virtuous wife
• सती: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: satī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine), प्रथमा (Nominative/कर्ता), एकवचन (Singular)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśī-khaṇḍa commonly Skanda → Agastya)

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Pilgrimage-inquirer audience

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A virtuous wife stands firm before dark, fearsome Yama-messengers; with radiant resolve she pulls her husband away from their grasp like a snake-charmer drawing a serpent from a hole.

Characters & Entities

• Yamadūtas
• Svarga

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pativratā-dharma is portrayed as spiritually protective, capable of overcoming fearful forces and elevating the family.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The immediate focus is ethical-mahātmya (pativratā’s power) within the Kāśī-khaṇḍa, not a named tīrtha in this verse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No ritual is described; it is a dharmic ideal illustrated through a vivid simile.