Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 4

Devanagari script

स्वनयोत्रैव तिष्ठन्तमाससाद यदृच्छया । स च मामेत्य कन्यां ते दास्यामीति वचोऽब्रवीत्

Transliteration

svanayotraiva tiṣṭhantamāsasāda yadṛcchayā | sa ca māmetya kanyāṃ te dāsyāmīti vaco'bravīt

Translation

เมื่อข้าพเจ้าอยู่ ณ ที่นี้เอง สวานยะก็บังเอิญมาพบข้าพเจ้า ครั้นเข้าใกล้แล้วกล่าวว่า “เราจักมอบกุมารีหนึ่งให้แก่ท่านเพื่อการอภิเษกสมรส”

Word by Word

• svanayaḥ: Svanaya (proper name)
• svanayaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: svanaya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• atra: here
• atra: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atra (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, देशवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (locative adverb)

• eva: indeed/just
• eva: Sambandha/Emphasis (सम्बन्ध/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, अवधारणार्थक निपात (particle of emphasis)

• tiṣṭhantam: standing
• tiṣṭhantam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sthā (स्था धातु) → tiṣṭhat (तिष्ठत्)
• Form: वर्तमाने कृदन्त (शतृ/Present active participle), पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• āsasāda: approached/reached
• āsasāda: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sad (सद् धातु) उपसर्ग-आ → आ-√सद्
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• yadṛcchayā: by chance
• yadṛcchayā: Karana/Hetu (करण/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yadṛcchā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन; हेतौ/निमित्ते (by chance)

• saḥ: he
• saḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन (pronoun)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, समुच्चयार्थक अव्यय (conjunction)

• mām: me
• mām: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तमपुरुष-सर्वनाम, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• etya: having come
• etya: Kriya-visheṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: i (इ धातु) → etya (ल्यप्)
• Form: क्त्वान्त/ल्यपन्त अव्यय (gerund), पूर्वकालिक क्रिया (having come)

• kanyām: a maiden/daughter
• kanyām: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kanyā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• te: to you
• te: Sampradana (सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yusmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: मध्यमपुरुष-सर्वनाम, चतुर्थी (4th/Dative), एकवचन

• dāsyāmi: I will give
• dāsyāmi: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: dā (दा धातु)
• Form: लृट् (Simple Future), उत्तमपुरुष (1st person), एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• iti: thus
• iti: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iti (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, इत्यादि-उद्धरणार्थक (quotative particle)

• vacaḥ: words/speech
• vacaḥ: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vacas (वचस् प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• abravīt: said/spoke
• abravīt: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: brū (ब्रू धातु)
• Form: लङ् (Imperfect/Past), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन, परस्मैपद

Speaker

Kakṣīvān (within Sūta’s narration)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Agastya-tīrtha (contextual, nearby)

Type: tirtha

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Dīrghatamas (implied)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A sage residing at a sacred spot; King Svānaya arrives unexpectedly, approaches with folded hands, and offers a maiden in marriage—an intimate, fate-driven royal proposal in a tīrtha setting.

Characters & Entities

• Svānaya

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

In tīrtha narratives, right effort aligned with dharma often yields timely assistance—events unfold as if guided by providence.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The ongoing setting is Āgastya-tīrtha within Setukhaṇḍa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Implicitly points to kanyā-dāna within vivāha, but no procedural ritual details are provided.