Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 4

Devanagari script

उद्वाहितानां पत्नीनां ये न कुर्वन्ति सेवनम् । या निष्ठा जायते नृणां तां शृणुष्व नराधिप

Transliteration

udvāhitānāṃ patnīnāṃ ye na kurvanti sevanam | yā niṣṭhā jāyate nṛṇāṃ tāṃ śṛṇuṣva narādhipa

Translation

വിവാഹിതയായ ഭാര്യമാരോടു യഥോചിത ദാമ്പത്യധർമ്മം അനുഷ്ഠിക്കാത്ത പുരുഷന്മാർക്ക് ഏതു നിശ്ചിത ഫലം സംഭവിക്കുന്നുവോ, ഹേ നരാധിപാ, അത് കേൾക്കുക.

Word by Word

• उद्वाहितानाम्: of the married (women)
• उद्वाहितानाम्: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: उद् + वह् (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (PPP) ‘उद्वाहित’ (married), स्त्रीलिङ्गे पत्नीनाम् इति विशेष्यस्य विशेषणम्; षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन

• पत्नीनाम्: of wives
• पत्नीनाम्: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पत्नी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन

• ये: who (those who)
• ये: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; सम्बन्धक (relative pronoun)

• न: not
• न: Negation particle (निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निषेध-निपात (negation)

• कुर्वन्ति: do
• कुर्वन्ति: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन; परस्मैपद

• सेवनम्: service/indulgence (sexual union)
• सेवनम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सेवन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• या: which (that)
• या: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; सम्बन्धक (relative pronoun)

• निष्ठा: steadfastness; resolve
• निष्ठा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: निष्ठा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• जायते: arises
• जायते: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: जन् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

• नृणाम्: of men
• नृणाम्: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन

• ताम्: that (steadfastness)
• ताम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; निष्ठाम् इत्यस्य निर्देशः

• शृणुष्व: hear (listen)
• शृणुष्व: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: श्रु (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (Imperative), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd person), एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

• नराधिप: O king (lord of men)
• नराधिप: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर + अधिप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th/Vocative), एकवचन

Speaker

Mārkaṇḍeya

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Narādhipa (king; dialogue frame with Yudhiṣṭhira)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Mārkaṇḍeya, calm but firm, addresses the king: a didactic tableau showing a householder neglecting his wife in the background as a cautionary vignette, contrasted with a harmonious couple as the ideal.

Characters & Entities

• Mārkaṇḍeya
• Narādhipa (Yudhiṣṭhira as addressee)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Householder duties are treated as dharma; neglect is said to bring an inevitable moral and karmic outcome.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse is didactic within the Somnātha-centered narrative frame of the Revā Khaṇḍa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No specific rite; it frames a dharma-instruction regarding marital conduct.