Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 3

Devanagari script

नारी वा श्रद्धयोपेता तत्र स्नात्वा प्रजावती । भवेत्सौभाग्यसंयुक्ता स्पृहणीयतमा क्षितौ

Transliteration

nārī vā śraddhayopetā tatra snātvā prajāvatī | bhavetsaubhāgyasaṃyuktā spṛhaṇīyatamā kṣitau

Translation

അല്ലെങ്കിൽ ശ്രദ്ധയോടെ ഉള്ള സ്ത്രീ അവിടെ സ്നാനം ചെയ്താൽ അവൾ സന്താനവതിയാകും; സൗഭാഗ്യസമ്പന്നയായി ഭൂമിയിൽ ഏറ്റവും ആഗ്രഹനീയയായി തിളങ്ങും.

Word by Word

• nārī: a woman
• nārī: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nārī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• vā: or
• vā: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vā (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (disjunctive particle), अर्थः—‘or/even’

• śraddhayā-upetā: endowed with faith
• śraddhayā-upetā: Karta (Subject qualifier/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śraddhā (प्रातिपदिक) + upeta (√i + upa- + क्त)
• Form: कृदन्त (क्त), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; ‘śraddhayā’—स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), एकवचन (करण)

• tatra: there
• tatra: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatra (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb), देशवाचक

• snātvā: having bathed
• snātvā: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √snā (धातु) + tvā (क्त्वा)
• Form: कृदन्त (क्त्वान्त अव्ययभाव), पूर्वकालिक क्रिया (absolutive/gerund)

• prajā-vatī: having children
• prajā-vatī: Karya (Predicate/विधेय)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: prajā (प्रातिपदिक) + vat (वत्-प्रत्यय)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; ‘possessing offspring’

• bhavet: would become
• bhavet: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √bhū (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• saubhāgya-saṃyuktā: endowed with good fortune
• saubhāgya-saṃyuktā: Karya (Predicate/विधेय)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: saubhāgya (प्रातिपदिक) + saṃyukta (√yuj + sam- + क्त)
• Form: कृदन्त (क्त), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (saubhāgyena saṃyuktā)

• spṛhaṇīya-tamā: most desirable
• spṛhaṇīya-tamā: Karya (Predicate/विधेय)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: spṛhaṇīya (√spṛh + anīya) + tama (तमप्)
• Form: कृदन्त (अनीयर्—gerundive) + तमप् (superlative), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• kṣitau: on earth
• kṣitau: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kṣiti (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन

Speaker

Sūta

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Viśvāmitra-kuṇḍa

Type: kund

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: dvijās addressed in surrounding passage; the verse itself states a general rule for women devotees

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A faithful woman bathes at the lotus-filled kuṇḍa; attendants hold offerings; the scene suggests blessings of motherhood and auspicious married life—gentle, dignified, and sacred.

Characters & Entities

• Śraddhā
• Viśvāmitra-kuṇḍa (implied)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Faith (śraddhā) is presented as the inner catalyst that makes tīrtha-practice fruitful and auspicious.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The auspicious kuṇḍa associated with Viśvāmitra described in this adhyāya.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Snāna (bathing) at the tīrtha, performed with śraddhā, is said to yield prajā (offspring) and saubhāgya (good fortune).