Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 37

Devanagari script

ब्राह्मण्युवाच । अष्टवर्षा भवेद्गौरी नववर्षा तु रोहिणी । दशवर्षा भवेत्कन्या अत ऊर्ध्वं रजस्वला

Transliteration

brāhmaṇyuvāca | aṣṭavarṣā bhavedgaurī navavarṣā tu rohiṇī | daśavarṣā bhavetkanyā ata ūrdhvaṃ rajasvalā

Translation

ബ്രാഹ്മണീ പറഞ്ഞു—എട്ട് വയസ്സിൽ ‘ഗൗരി’, ഒൻപത് വയസ്സിൽ ‘രോഹിണി’; പത്ത് വയസ്സിൽ ‘കന്യ’ എന്നു പറയുന്നു, അതിന് മുകളിൽ അവൾ രജസ്വലയാകുന്നു.

Word by Word

• ब्राह्मणी: the Brahmin woman
• ब्राह्मणी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्राह्मणी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (feminine), प्रथमा (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (singular)

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (singular), परस्मैपद

• अष्टवर्षा: eight-years-old
• अष्टवर्षा: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अष्ट + वर्ष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (feminine), प्रथमा (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (singular)

• भवेत्: would be / is (as a rule)
• भवेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (singular), परस्मैपद

• गौरी: Gaurī (name/designation)
• गौरी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गौरी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (feminine), प्रथमा (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (singular)

• नववर्षा: nine-years-old
• नववर्षा: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: नव + वर्ष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (feminine), प्रथमा (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (singular)

• तु: but/indeed
• तु: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle), विरोध/विशेष (but/indeed)

• रोहिणी: Rohiṇī (name/designation)
• रोहिणी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रोहिणी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (feminine), प्रथमा (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (singular)

• दशवर्षा: ten-years-old
• दशवर्षा: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दश + वर्ष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (feminine), प्रथमा (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (singular)

• भवेत्: would be / is (as a rule)
• भवेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (singular), परस्मैपद

• कन्या: a maiden/girl
• कन्या: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कन्या (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (feminine), प्रथमा (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (singular)

• अतः: thereafter / from then
• अतः: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अतः (अव्यय)
• Form: हेतुवाचक-अव्यय (thereafter/from this point)

• ऊर्ध्वम्: above / beyond
• ऊर्ध्वम्: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ऊर्ध्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: क्रियाविशेषणरूपेण (adverbial accusative), दिशावाचक (upwards/above)

• रजस्वला: menstruating
• रजस्वला: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: रजस्वला (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (feminine), प्रथमा (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (singular)

Speaker

Brāhmaṇī (explicitly indicated)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A brāhmaṇa woman speaks authoritatively, enumerating age-based names; the setting suggests a domestic-cum-pilgrimage camp near a sacred place.

Characters & Entities

• Brāhmaṇī
• Gaurī
• Rohiṇī

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

It reflects traditional dharma classifications of life-stages, used here to judge propriety within the narrative.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Not specified in this verse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No direct rite is prescribed; it provides definitional criteria used in a dharmic argument.