Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 22

Devanagari script

चित्रांगद उवाच । कुमारब्रह्मचारी स श्रूयते मुनिसत्तमः । तत्कथं तस्य वामोरु त्वं जाता भार्यया विना

Transliteration

citrāṃgada uvāca | kumārabrahmacārī sa śrūyate munisattamaḥ | tatkathaṃ tasya vāmoru tvaṃ jātā bhāryayā vinā

Translation

จิตรางคทะกล่าวว่า: “มุนีผู้ประเสริฐนั้นเลื่องลือว่าเป็นกุมารพรหมจารี ผู้ครองพรหมจรรย์. แล้วโอ้ผู้มีต้นขางาม เธอเกิดจากท่านได้อย่างไรโดยปราศจากภรรยา?”

Word by Word

• चित्राङ्गदः: Citrāṅgada
• चित्राङ्गदः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चित्राङ्गद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा (1st/कर्ता), एकवचन; नाम-रूपेण

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (परोक्शभूत/Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• कुमारब्रह्मचारी: a celibate from boyhood
• कुमारब्रह्मचारी: Viśeṣaṇa (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कुमार (प्रातिपदिक) + ब्रह्मचारी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; विशेषण; समासः—कुमारश्च ब्रह्मचारी च (कुमारः ब्रह्मचारी इव/कुमार-रूपेण ब्रह्मचारी) कर्मधारय

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• श्रूयते: is reputed/is heard
• श्रूयते: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: श्रु (धातु)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान/Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; आत्मनेपदम्; कर्मणि-प्रयोगः (is heard/is said)

• मुनिसत्तमः: the best of sages
• मुनिसत्तमः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मुनि (प्रातिपदिक) + सत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; समासः—मुनीनां सत्तमः (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष)

• तत्: then/therefore
• तत्: Sambandha (Logical/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययवत् प्रयोगः (particle: ‘then/therefore’)

• कथम्: how
• कथम्: Sambandha (Interrogative/प्रश्न)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: कथम् (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रश्नवाचक अव्यय (interrogative adverb)

• तस्य: of him/of that (sage)
• तस्य: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, षष्ठी (6th/सम्बन्ध), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• वामोरु: O fair-thighed one
• वामोरु: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वाम (प्रातिपदिक) + ऊरु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे, सम्बोधन (8th), एकवचन; समासः—वामः ऊरुः यस्याः (कर्मधारय; ‘fair-thighed’)

• त्वम्: you
• त्वम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तमपुरुष-सर्वनाम; प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• जाता: were born
• जाता: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: जन् (धातु) → जात (कृदन्त-क्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त; स्त्रीलिङ्गे, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्तरि-भावे ‘born’

• भार्यया: with a wife (as means/through)
• भार्यया: Sahakāraka (Association/सह)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भार्या (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे, तृतीया (3rd/करण), एकवचन

• विना: without
• विना: Sambandha (Exclusion/वियोग)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: विना (अव्यय)
• Form: वियोग/अभाव-बोधक अव्यय; सह पञ्चमी/तृतीया-समर्थः (without)

Speaker

Citrāṅgada

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Citrāṅgada, astonished yet composed, questions the maiden about her birth from a famed brahmacārin; the forest becomes a courtroom of dharma, with attentive postures and serious expressions.

Characters & Entities

• Citrāṅgada
• Jābāli

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharma traditions treat brahmacarya as a serious vow; apparent contradictions invite inquiry rather than assumptions.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No tīrtha is named in this verse; it advances the narrative within a tīrtha-māhātmya chapter.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; the verse is a doctrinal/narrative question about celibacy and birth.