Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 20

Devanagari script

समानजातिसंभूता पत्नी यस्य धृता भवेत् । पूर्वो भर्त्ताऽर्द्धभागी स्याद्द्वितीयस्य न किंचन

Transliteration

samānajātisaṃbhūtā patnī yasya dhṛtā bhavet | pūrvo bharttā'rddhabhāgī syāddvitīyasya na kiṃcana

Translation

ఒక పురుషుడు తనే జాతిలో జన్మించిన స్త్రీని భార్యగా స్వీకరిస్తే, ధర్మఫలాధికారంలో పూర్వభర్త అర్ధభాగి అవుతాడు; ద్వితీయభర్తకు ఏమాత్రమూ లభించదు.

Word by Word

• समानजातिसंभूता: born of the same caste
• समानजातिसंभूता: Karta (Subject qualifier/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: समान-जाति-संभूत (प्रातिपदिक/कृदन्त)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st/Nominative); एकवचन — क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (संभूत = सम्+भू+क्त): ‘born of the same caste’; समासः समान+जाति (कर्मधारय) + संभूत (तत्पुरुष)

• पत्नी: wife
• पत्नी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पत्नी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st/Nominative); एकवचन — ‘wife’

• यस्य: whose
• यस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठी-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; षष्ठी (6th/Genitive); एकवचन — ‘of whom/whose’

• धृता: accepted/kept
• धृता: Karta (Predicate of subject/कर्तृ-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: धृ (धातु) → धृत (कृदन्त; क्त)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st/Nominative); एकवचन — क्त-प्रत्ययान्त: ‘held/accepted (as wife)’ (predicate/qualifier of पत्नी)

• भवेत्: should be
• भवेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative); प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person); एकवचन — ‘should be/would be’

• पूर्वः: the former/first
• पूर्वः: Karta (Subject qualifier/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पूर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st/Nominative); एकवचन — ‘former/first’ (qualifying भर्ता)

• भर्ता: husband
• भर्ता: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भर्तृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st/Nominative); एकवचन — ‘husband’

• अर्द्धभागी: entitled to half (share)
• अर्द्धभागी: Karta (Predicate of subject/कर्तृ-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अर्द्ध-भागिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st/Nominative); एकवचन — ‘half-share-holder’; समासः अर्द्ध+भागिन् (तत्पुरुष)

• स्यात्: should be
• स्यात्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative); प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person); एकवचन — ‘should be’

• द्वितीयस्य: of the second
• द्वितीयस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठी-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्वितीय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; षष्ठी (6th/Genitive); एकवचन — ‘of the second (husband)’

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निषेध (negation particle)

• किंचन: anything (at all)
• किंचन: Karman (Predicate object/कर्म-भाव)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किंचन (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd); एकवचन — ‘anything at all’ (here: predicate nominative/accusative sense ‘nothing’)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Nāgarakhaṇḍa Tīrthamāhātmya narrative voice)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: dvija (addressed)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A didactic scene: a learned brāhmaṇa instructs householders on marriage norms; two symbolic male figures represent ‘former’ and ‘later’ husband, with a balance-scale motif indicating ‘half-share’ vs ‘none’.

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Household relationships are treated as dharmic partnerships where prior bonds can affect the distribution of merit and entitlement.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

This verse is within a Tīrthamāhātmya chapter of the Nāgarakhaṇḍa, but no specific tīrtha name appears in this single śloka.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No specific rite (snāna, dāna, japa) is prescribed here; it states a rule about entitlement/share connected to marital dharma.