Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 11

Devanagari script

सूत उवाच । तस्माच्च वित्तलोभेन क्षत्रियो द्विजसत्तमाः । विवाहं कारयामास तत्क्षणादेव स द्विजाः

Transliteration

sūta uvāca | tasmācca vittalobhena kṣatriyo dvijasattamāḥ | vivāhaṃ kārayāmāsa tatkṣaṇādeva sa dvijāḥ

Translation

พระสูตะกล่าวว่า: "ดูก่อนพราหมณ์ผู้ประเสริฐ กษัตริย์ผู้นั้น ด้วยความโลภในทรัพย์สิน จึงจัดให้มีการแต่งงานขึ้นทันที ในชั่วขณะนั้นเอง"

Word by Word

• सूतः: Sūta
• सूतः: Karta (Speaker/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सूत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Speech act/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect); प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• तस्मात्: therefore
• तस्मात्: Hetu/Apadana (Cause/Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; पञ्चमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयार्थक निपात (conjunction)

• वित्तलोभेन: due to greed for wealth
• वित्तलोभेन: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वित्त (प्रातिपदिक) + लोभ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; हेतौ/करणे; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (vittasya lobhaḥ)

• क्षत्रियः: the Kṣatriya
• क्षत्रियः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्षत्रिय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• द्विजसत्तमाः: the best of the twice-born (Brahmins)
• द्विजसत्तमाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्विज (प्रातिपदिक) + सत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; कर्मधारयः (श्रेष्ठा द्विजाः)

• विवाहम्: marriage
• विवाहम्: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विवाह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• कारयामास: caused (it) to be performed
• कारयामास: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु) → कारय (णिच् causative)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect); प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद; णिच्-प्रयोग (causative: ‘caused to be done’)

• तत्क्षणात्: from that very moment, immediately
• तत्क्षणात्: Adhikarana (Time-from/अपादान-काल)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तत् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + क्षण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; पञ्चमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; अव्ययीभाववत् अर्थः—‘तस्मिन् क्षणे’/‘ततः क्षणात्’ (immediately)

• एव: indeed, just
• एव: Sambandha (Emphasis/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधारणार्थक निपात (emphatic particle)

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

• द्विजाः: the Brahmins
• द्विजाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्विज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa/Sūta narrator)

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: dvija-sattamāḥ (assembled brāhmaṇas/sages)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Sūta as narrator in a forest-assembly (naimiṣa-like setting), gesturing as he recounts the Kṣatriya’s greed; a vignette inset shows a hurried wedding being arranged.

Characters & Entities

• Sūta
• Kṣatriya
• Dvija (brāhmaṇa/officiant)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Greed (lobha) can corrupt dharmic rites; the narrator highlights the danger of choosing profit over propriety.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse is within a tīrtha-māhātmya chapter but focuses on the ethical narrative rather than naming the place.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

The performance of vivāha is mentioned; the critique is that it was rushed and motivated by wealth.