Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 128

Devanagari script

ऋतवागुवाच । सुव्रतेन पुरा वेदा अधीता विधिना मया । समाप्य विद्या विधवत्कृतो दारपरिग्रहः

Transliteration

ṛtavāguvāca | suvratena purā vedā adhītā vidhinā mayā | samāpya vidyā vidhavatkṛto dāraparigrahaḥ

Translation

ഋതവാക് പറഞ്ഞു—മുന്പ് സുവ്രതം പാലിച്ച് ഞാൻ വിധിപൂർവം വേദങ്ങൾ അധ്യയനം ചെയ്തു. വിദ്യ സമാപിച്ച് പിന്നെ വിധിവത്കമായി ഭാര്യയെ സ്വീകരിച്ച് ഗൃഹസ്ഥാശ്രമത്തിൽ പ്രവേശിച്ചു।

Word by Word

• ऋतवाक्: Ṛtavāk
• ऋतवाक्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ऋतवाक् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार, प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन

• सुव्रतेन: with good discipline/vows
• सुव्रतेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सुव्रत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; साधन/सहकारक अर्थे (by/with good vows/discipline)

• पुरा: formerly
• पुरा: Kriya-vishesana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुरा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, कालवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (adverb of time)

• वेदाः: the Vedas
• वेदाः: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वेद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• अधीता: were studied
• अधीता: Kriya (Predicate participle/क्रियाविशेष)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अधि-इ (धातु)
• Form: क्त (past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; कर्मणि प्रयोगे—'वेदाः अधीताः'

• विधिना: by proper method
• विधिना: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विधि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• मया: by me
• मया: Karta (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तम-पुरुष सर्वनाम, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• समाप्य: having completed
• समाप्य: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम्-आप् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय (gerund), पूर्वकालिक क्रिया (having completed)

• विद्याः: the studies/branches of knowledge
• विद्याः: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विद्या (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• विधवत्: properly
• विधवत्: Kriya-vishesana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: विधवत् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, प्रकारवाचक (in due manner)

• कृतः: was done/made
• कृतः: Kriya (Predicate participle/क्रियाविशेष)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: क्त (past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्तरि भावे—'परिग्रहः कृतः'

• दारपरिग्रहः: marriage (acceptance of a wife)
• दारपरिग्रहः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दार-परिग्रह (प्रातिपदिक; दार + परिग्रह)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः—षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (दाराणां परिग्रहः)

Speaker

Ṛtavāk

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Vastrāpatha-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Garga (being addressed in the narrative)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A calm ashram scene of study: Ṛtavāk as a disciplined student with palm-leaf manuscripts, then a transition to a wedding rite—garlands, sacred fire—signifying entry into gṛhastha.

Characters & Entities

• Ṛtavāk
• Vedas
• Dāra-parigraha (marriage/householder life)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharma is sequential and disciplined: study with vows, then righteous entry into household life according to śāstra.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The larger discourse is situated in the Vastrāpatha-kṣetra Māhātmya (Prabhāsa); this verse provides the protagonist’s dharmic credentials before the tīrtha-centered turning point.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Implicit adherence to vidhi (injunction): Vedic study by rule and marriage undertaken duly; no specific tīrtha-ritual is stated here.