Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 4

Devanagari script

विध्वंसिताः स्त्रियो नैका विधवाश्च विशेषतः

Transliteration

vidhvaṃsitāḥ striyo naikā vidhavāśca viśeṣataḥ

Translation

अनेक स्त्रिया उद्ध्वस्त झाल्या; विशेषतः विधवांना अत्यंत क्लेश सहन करावा लागला.

Word by Word

• vidhvaṃsitāḥ: ruined, destroyed
• vidhvaṃsitāḥ: Qualifier/Predicative (विशेषण/विधेय)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vi- (उपसर्ग) + dhvaṃs (ध्वंस्-धातु) + vidhvaṃsita (कृदन्त; क्त)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (PPP)

• striyaḥ: women
• striyaḥ: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: strī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• na: not
• na: Negation (निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निषेध-निपात (negation particle)

• ekāḥ: single/one (here: ‘not few’ → many)
• ekāḥ: Qualifier (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: eka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; ‘na ekāḥ’ = ‘many (not one/few)’

• vidhavāḥ: widows
• vidhavāḥ: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vidhavā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• ca: and
• ca: Connector (समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयार्थक-निपात (conjunction)

• viśeṣataḥ: especially
• viśeṣataḥ: Adverbial (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: viśeṣatas (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रकार/विशेषणार्थक-अव्यय (adverb: ‘especially’)

Speaker

Narrator (deduced: a Purāṇic narrator within Nāgarakhaṇḍa Tīrthamāhātmya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A street or palace courtyard where distressed women stand with torn garments and downcast eyes; widows in plain attire sit apart, heads covered, conveying collective grief under an oppressive regime.

Characters & Entities

• women
• widows

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

A ruler’s adharma is measured by the suffering of the vulnerable; harming women and widows is a stark sign of moral collapse.

Which specific holy site (Tīrtha) is glorified here?

No tīrtha is directly mentioned in this verse; it supports the broader Māhātmya narrative by illustrating the fruits of adharma.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; the focus is on social and ethical wrongdoing rather than a rite.