Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 60

Devanagari script

तापसीनां चतुष्कं च परित्यज्य यतव्रतम् । शेषाभिः प्रगृहीतानि मण्डनानि यथेच्छया

Transliteration

tāpasīnāṃ catuṣkaṃ ca parityajya yatavratam | śeṣābhiḥ pragṛhītāni maṇḍanāni yathecchayā

Translation

परंतु व्रतनिष्ठ चार तपस्विनींनी ते मांडण त्यागले; उरलेल्या स्त्रियांनी इच्छेप्रमाणे आभूषणे स्वीकारली।

Word by Word

• तापसीनां: of the female ascetics
• तापसीनां: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तापसी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन

• चतुष्कं: group of four
• चतुष्कं: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चतुष्क (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• च: and
• च: Connector (समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक अव्यय (conjunction)

• परित्यज्य: having left/abandoned
• परित्यज्य: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial to main action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: त्यज् (धातु) उपसर्ग: परि-
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund), अव्ययभाव (having abandoned)

• यतव्रतम्: of restrained vows
• यतव्रतम्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: यत + व्रत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifying चतुष्कं)

• शेषाभिः: by the remaining (women)
• शेषाभिः: Karaṇa (Instrument/Agentive instrumental)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शेषा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन; विशेषण (qualifying implied agent)

• प्रगृहीतानि: taken/accepted
• प्रगृहीतानि: Karma (Object/कर्म) / Predicate participle
• Type: Verb
• Root: ग्रह् (धातु) उपसर्ग: प्र-
• Form: कृदन्त-क्त (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, बहुवचन; कर्मणि प्रयोगे ‘taken/accepted’

• मण्डनानि: adornments
• मण्डनानि: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मण्डन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, बहुवचन

• यथेच्छया: as they wished
• यथेच्छया: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Manner/प्रकार)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा + इच्छा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभावसमास; अव्ययार्थ (according to one’s wish)

Speaker

Narrator (specific speaker not in snippet)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A line of ascetic women: four remain unadorned, calm and resolute, while others accept ornaments and choose adornments according to preference; contrast between austerity and acceptance is visually central.

Characters & Entities

• tāpasyaḥ (female ascetics)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

It elevates vow-based restraint: true ascetic discipline may reject adornment, while others may accept within their disposition.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

This verse does not name a specific tīrtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Vrata-observance and renunciation are implied, but no specific ritual procedure is detailed.