Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 17

Devanagari script

ऋतुकालेऽपि संप्राप्ते सुता मम समुद्भवाः । यन्न संभाषसि प्रीत्या धर्मशास्त्रं न वेत्सि किम्

Transliteration

ṛtukāle'pi saṃprāpte sutā mama samudbhavāḥ | yanna saṃbhāṣasi prītyā dharmaśāstraṃ na vetsi kim

Translation

ಋತುಕಾಲ ಬಂದಿದ್ದರೂ ನನ್ನಿಂದ ಜನಿಸಿದ ಪುತ್ರಿಯರೊಂದಿಗೆ ನೀನು ಪ್ರೀತಿಯಿಂದ ಮಾತನಾಡುವುದಿಲ್ಲ; ನಿನಗೆ ಧರ್ಮಶಾಸ್ತ್ರ ತಿಳಿದಿಲ್ಲವೇ?

Word by Word

• ṛtu-kāle: in the proper season (fertile time)
• ṛtu-kāle: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ṛtu-kāla (प्रातिपदिक: ऋतु + काल)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: ऋतोः कालः ‘season/time of menstruation’

• api: even
• api: Sambandha (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle): ‘even/also’

• saṃprāpte: having arrived / when it has come
• saṃprāpte: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sam-pra-āp (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (past passive participle) ‘arrived’; पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7), एकवचन; ‘when (it) has come’ (locative absolute with ṛtukāle)

• sutāḥ: daughters
• sutāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sutā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), बहुवचन

• mama: my
• mama: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (प्रातिपदिक/सर्वनाम)
• Form: षष्ठी (6), एकवचन; 1st person pronoun genitive

• samudbhavāḥ: born (from me)
• samudbhavāḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sam-ud-bhava (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), बहुवचन; विशेषण ‘born/originating’ (agreeing with sutāḥ)

• yat: that (the fact)
• yat: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yat (प्रातिपदिक/सर्वनाम)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन; relative pronoun used adverbially ‘that (fact) that…’

• na: not
• na: Sambandha (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-निपात (negation particle)

• saṃbhāṣasi: you speak / converse
• saṃbhāṣasi: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sam-bhāṣ (धातु)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान), मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• prītyā: with affection
• prītyā: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: prīti (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3), एकवचन; भाववाचक; ‘with affection’

• dharmaśāstram: the dharma-śāstra
• dharmaśāstram: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dharma-śāstra (प्रातिपदिक: धर्म + शास्त्र)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष: धर्मस्य शास्त्रम्

• na: not
• na: Sambandha (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-निपात

• vetsi: you know
• vetsi: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vid (धातु)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान), मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• kim: why? / what?
• kim: Sambandha (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: kim (प्रातिपदिक/सर्वनाम)
• Form: प्रश्नार्थक-अव्यय (interrogative particle) ‘why?/what then?’

Speaker

Dakṣa (addressing Chandra/Soma)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Dakṣa, as father of many daughters, questions the Moon’s lack of affectionate speech/approach despite the arrival of the proper season; the daughters stand modestly behind, veiled or with lowered eyes.

Characters & Entities

• Dakṣa
• Chandra/Soma
• Dakṣa’s daughters
• Dharmaśāstra

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Affection and duty are both part of dharma; neglecting either is treated as a moral failing with consequences.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Not specified in this line; the verse is part of a tīrtha-māhātmya chapter but is itself ethical instruction.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

The dharmic timing of conjugal life (ṛtu-kāla) is invoked as a normative prescription.