Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 4

Devanagari script

तत्र दुश्चारिणी काचिद्रात्रौ ब्राह्मणवंशजा । देवदत्तं समासाद्य वल्लभं रमते सदा

Transliteration

tatra duścāriṇī kācidrātrau brāhmaṇavaṃśajā | devadattaṃ samāsādya vallabhaṃ ramate sadā

Translation

അവിടെ ബ്രാഹ്മണവംശജനയായ ഒരു ദുഷ്ചാരിണി സ്ത്രീ രാത്രിയിൽ ദേവദത്തൻ എന്ന പ്രിയനെ സമീപിച്ച് അവനോടൊപ്പം എപ്പോഴും രമിച്ചു കൊണ്ടിരുന്നു.

Word by Word

• tatra: there
• tatra: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatra (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्ययम् (locative adverb)

• duścāriṇī: of bad conduct
• duścāriṇī: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dus-cārinī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; विशेषणम्; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (दुष्टं चरति इति)

• kācit: a certain (woman)
• kācit: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kim (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; अनिर्दिष्टा (indefinite pronoun)

• rātrau: at night
• rātrau: Kala (Time/काल)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rātri (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे, सप्तमी-विभक्तिः (अधिकरणे/Locative), एकवचनम्

• brāhmaṇa-vaṃśa-jā: born in a brāhmaṇa lineage
• brāhmaṇa-vaṃśa-jā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: brāhmaṇa (प्रातिपदिक) + vaṃśa (प्रातिपदिक) + jā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; विशेषणम्; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (ब्राह्मणानां वंशे जाता)

• devadattam: Devadatta
• devadattam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: devadatta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, द्वितीया-विभक्तिः (कर्म/Object), एकवचनम्

• samāsādya: having approached
• samāsādya: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sam-ā-sad (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्ययम् (Gerund/Absolutive), ‘समासाद्य’ = having approached/met

• vallabham: (her) beloved
• vallabham: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vallabha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, द्वितीया-विभक्तिः (कर्म/Object), एकवचनम्; (devadattaṃ) विशेषणरूपेण अपि

• ramate: she enjoys/consorts
• ramate: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ram (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकारः (Present), आत्मनेपदम्, प्रथमपुरुषः, एकवचनम्

• sadā: always
• sadā: Kala (Time/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sadā (अव्यय)
• Form: नित्यत्ववाचक-अव्ययम् (adverb: always)

Speaker

Narrator (contextual; likely Sūta/Lomaharṣaṇa continuing the tīrtha-māhātmya account)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Caturāsya-āśrama tīrtha (context)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Brāhmaṇas / sages

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Night scene near a secluded grove by the hermitage; a woman in discreet attire meets Devadatta, the mood mixing illicit romance with looming consequence under the gaze of sacred space.

Characters & Entities

• Devadatta

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Even high birth does not protect one from the karmic and social consequences of adharma; conduct (ācāra) is central to dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

This verse is part of a Nāgara Khaṇḍa tīrtha-māhātmya narrative; the specific tīrtha name is not stated in this single verse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None in this verse; it sets up a narrative context that later leads to a public proof/ordeal.