Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 20

Devanagari script

तस्मादद्यापि त्वां कश्चिदुद्वाहयति तापसः । त्वं तं वरय भर्त्तारं येन गच्छसि मेध्यताम्

Transliteration

tasmādadyāpi tvāṃ kaścidudvāhayati tāpasaḥ | tvaṃ taṃ varaya bharttāraṃ yena gacchasi medhyatām

Translation

അതുകൊണ്ട് ഇന്നും ഏതെങ്കിലും തപസ്വി നിന്നെ വിവാഹം കഴിക്കാം. നീ മേധ്യത—ശുദ്ധിയും യജ്ഞയോഗ്യതയും—പ്രാപിക്കുവാൻ അവനെയേ ഭർത്താവായി വരിക്കൂ.

Word by Word

• तस्मात्: therefore
• तस्मात्: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (निपात/सम्बन्ध-निर्देशक), अर्थे ‘अतः’

• अद्य: today, now
• अद्य: Kala-adhikarana (Time/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अद्य (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, कालवाचक (today/now)

• अपि: still, even
• अपि: Sambandha (Emphasis/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, अपि-कार (still/even)

• त्वाम्: you
• त्वाम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया) एकवचन

• कश्चित्: someone
• कश्चित्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा) एकवचन; अनिश्चित

• उद्वाहयति: marries (you off)
• उद्वाहयति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: उद्- + वह् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present/वर्तमान), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद; कारणार्थक-प्रयोग (causative sense: ‘causes to be married’/‘marries’)

• तापसः: an ascetic
• तापसः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तापस (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा) एकवचन

• त्वम्: you
• त्वम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा) एकवचन

• तम्: him
• तम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया) एकवचन

• वरय: choose
• वरय: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वृ (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (Imperative/आज्ञार्थ), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• भर्तारम्: husband
• भर्तारम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भर्तृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया) एकवचन

• येन: by which, so that
• येन: Karana/Hetu (Means/Cause/करण-हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया) एकवचन; साधन/हेतु-अर्थे (by which/so that)

• गच्छसि: you go/attain
• गच्छसि: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present/वर्तमान), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• मेध्यताम्: purity, ritual fitness
• मेध्यताम्: Gati-karman (Goal/गति-लक्ष्य)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मेध्यता (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया) एकवचन; भाववाचक (state/quality)

Speaker

Indra

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Dīrghakanyā

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Indra offers a remedy: an ascetic may marry her even today; she should choose him as husband to regain ritual fitness.

Characters & Entities

• Indra
• Dīrghakanyā
• tāpasa (ascetic)
• udvāha (marriage)
• medhyatā

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharma is shown as restorative: right relationship and right conduct are presented as means to regain medhyatā (ritual-spiritual fitness).

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse belongs to a tīrtha-māhātmya chapter in the Nāgarakhaṇḍa; the specific place is not named within this single verse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Udvāha (marriage) is indicated as the corrective dharmic act leading to medhyatā (purity/eligibility for sacred rites).