Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 36

Devanagari script

यौवनं सा तु संप्राप्ता रूपेणाप्रतिमा भुवि

Transliteration

yauvanaṃ sā tu saṃprāptā rūpeṇāpratimā bhuvi

Translation

காலப்போக்கில் அவள் யௌவனத்தை அடைந்தாள்; அழகில் பூமியிலே அவளுக்கு ஒப்பாரில்லை.

Word by Word

• यौवनम्: youth
• यौवनम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yauvana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन; गत्यर्थक-धातोः प्राप्ता इत्यनेन सह (attained youth)

• सा: she
• सा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st/कर्ता), एकवचन

• तु: indeed/but
• तु: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधान/विरोधार्थक-निपात

• संप्राप्ता: attained
• संप्राप्ता: Kriya (Result state/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sam-prāp (धातु) → saṃprāpta (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: क्त (past passive participle); स्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; कर्तरि प्रयोगः (she attained)

• रूपेण: in beauty/by form
• रूपेण: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rūpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; तृतीया (3rd/करण), एकवचन

• अप्रतिमा: unequalled
• अप्रतिमा: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: a- (उपसर्ग/नञ्) + pratimā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; नञ्-समासार्थ (without equal)

• भुवि: on earth
• भुवि: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhū (प्रातिपदिक: bhuvi/भूमि)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; सप्तमी (7th/अधिकरण), एकवचन

Speaker

Sūta (continuing narration, implied)

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Śaunaka and the Naimiṣāraṇya sages (implied)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A young woman in full youth stands in a garden or courtyard, luminous and poised; attendants or Ratnavatī observe her with admiration, suggesting her unmatched beauty.

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

It sets the narrative stage: worldly beauty and youth are presented as circumstances within a larger dhārmic storyline.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The site-context remains Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra within the Nāgarakhaṇḍa’s Tīrthamāhātmya.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None.