Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 78

Devanagari script

कन्यकादानविघ्नं हि विक्रयं वा करोति यः । स कन्याः केवलाः सूते न पुत्रं केवलं क्वचित्

Transliteration

kanyakādānavighnaṃ hi vikrayaṃ vā karoti yaḥ | sa kanyāḥ kevalāḥ sūte na putraṃ kevalaṃ kvacit

Translation

Sesiapa yang menghalang kanyādāna, atau memperdagangkan anak gadis seolah-olah dijual, dia hanya akan memperanakkan anak perempuan semata-mata, dan tidak sekali-kali memperoleh anak lelaki.

Word by Word

• kanyakādānavighnam: Obstacle in the gift of a maiden
• kanyakādānavighnam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kanyakādānavighna (कन्यकादानविघ्न)
• Form: Masculine, Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular

• hi: Indeed / For
• hi: None
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: hi (हि)
• Form: Particle

• vikrayam: Sale / Selling
• vikrayam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vikraya (विक्रय)
• Form: Masculine, Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular

• vā: Or
• vā: None
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vā (वा)
• Form: Conjunction

• karoti: Does / Commits
• karoti: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kṛ (कृ)
• Form: Lat Lakara (Present), Prathama Purusha (3rd), Singular

• yaḥ: Who
• yaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (यद्)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular

• sa: He
• sa: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (तद्)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular

• kanyāḥ: Daughters
• kanyāḥ: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kanyā (कन्या)
• Form: Feminine, Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Plural

• kevalāḥ: Only / Mere
• kevalāḥ: Visheshana (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kevala (केवल)
• Form: Feminine, Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Plural

• sūte: Begets / Produces
• sūte: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sū (सू)
• Form: Lat Lakara (Present), Prathama Purusha (3rd), Singular, Atmanepada

• na: Not
• na: None
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (न)
• Form: Negative Particle

• putram: Son
• putram: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: putra (पुत्र)
• Form: Masculine, Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular

• kevalam: Only / Even
• kevalam: Kriya-visheshana (Adverb/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: kevala (केवल)
• Form: Adverbial usage

• kvacit: Ever / At any time
• kvacit: Kriya-visheshana (Adverb/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: kvacit (क्वचित्)
• Form: Adverb

Speaker

Skanda (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A village marriage pavilion: elders halt a wedding procession with coins and contracts; the moral weight of the act is shown as a shadowy karmic consequence behind them, while a righteous kanyā-dāna scene glows in contrast.

Characters & Entities

• Kanyādāna

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Marriage rites are dharmic, not commercial; obstructing or commodifying them is treated as grave adharma with stated karmic consequences.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific tīrtha is identified in this verse; it is a dharma-focused instruction embedded in the māhātmya chapter.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Kanyādāna is upheld as a sacred rite; the verse prohibits its obstruction and any ‘sale’ associated with it.