Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 30

Devanagari script

अथाहं भार्यया प्रोक्तो गृहाणेश जलाशयात् । जलजानि क्रयार्थाय येन स्यादद्य भोजनम्

Transliteration

athāhaṃ bhāryayā prokto gṛhāṇeśa jalāśayāt | jalajāni krayārthāya yena syādadya bhojanam

Translation

അപ്പോൾ എന്റെ ഭാര്യ എന്നോട് പറഞ്ഞു—“ഹേ നാഥാ, ഈ ജലാശയത്തിൽ നിന്ന് ജലജ താമരകൾ ശേഖരിക്കൂ; അവ വിൽക്കുകയാൽ ഇന്ന് ഭക്ഷണം ലഭിക്കും.”

Word by Word

• अथ: then
• अथ: Sambandha (Discourse particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अथ (अव्यय)
• Form: अनन्तर्यसूचक-अव्यय (then)

• अहम्: I
• अहम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तमपुरुष-सर्वनाम, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• भार्यया: by (my) wife
• भार्यया: Karta (Agent in passive/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भार्या (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (करण/कर्तृ), एकवचन

• प्रोक्तः: was told
• प्रोक्तः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र-√वच् (वच् धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (PPP), पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्मणि (was told)

• गृहाण: take / collect
• गृहाण: Kriya (Command/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ग्रह् (धातु)
• Form: लोट्-लकार (imperative), मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• ईश: O lord (sir)
• ईश: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ईश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-प्रथमा (vocative), एकवचन

• जलाशयात्: from the lake / water-reservoir
• जलाशयात्: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जल + आशय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (अपादान), एकवचन; समासः: जलस्य आशयः (water-reservoir)

• जलजानि: water-born things (lotuses)
• जलजानि: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जलज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (कर्म), बहुवचन; समासः: जले जायते इति (water-born; lotuses)

• क्रयार्थाय: for selling / for purchase-money
• क्रयार्थाय: Sampradana (Purpose/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्रय + अर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, चतुर्थी-विभक्ति (प्रयोजन/सम्प्रदान), एकवचन; समासः: क्रयस्य अर्थः (for purchase/sale)

• येन: by which
• येन: Karana (Means/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (करण), एकवचन; साधनार्थे (by which)

• स्यात्: might be / would be
• स्यात्: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

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

• भोजनम्: food / a meal
• भोजनम्: Karta (Subject complement/प्रथमा-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भोजन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

Speaker

Unspecified narrator (a merchant/traveler) within Nāgarakhaṇḍa Tīrthamāhātmya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Unnamed Saras (Padminī-saras)

Type: kund

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Dvija audience; immediate speaker within verse is the wife addressing ‘īśa’ (lord/husband)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: At the lake’s edge, the wife speaks with practical urgency; the husband listens, holding a wet cloth from bathing; lotus blooms sway nearby, suggesting both beauty and potential sustenance.

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharma includes practical wisdom—seeking lawful livelihood and sustenance without despair, even while journeying through sacred landscapes.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The same lotus-bearing lake is in view; the verse focuses on its life-supporting abundance.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None as a formal rite; it mentions collecting lotuses for sale to obtain food.