Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 72

Devanagari script

वेधसा बंधनं किंचिन्नृणामन्यदपश्यता । स्त्रीरूपेण ततः कोऽपि पाशोऽयं सुदृढः कृतः

Transliteration

vedhasā baṃdhanaṃ kiṃcinnṛṇāmanyadapaśyatā | strīrūpeṇa tataḥ ko'pi pāśo'yaṃ sudṛḍhaḥ kṛtaḥ

Translation

เมื่อพระผู้สร้างไม่เห็นเครื่องผูกอื่นใดสำหรับมนุษย์ จึงทรงสร้างบ่วงอันแน่นหนานี้ยิ่งนัก โดยทรงรับรูปเป็นสตรี

Word by Word

• vedhasā: by the Creator
• vedhasā: Karana (Agent in passive/कर्तृकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vedhas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन

• bandhanam: a bondage
• bandhanam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bandhana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• kiṃcit: some
• kiṃcit: Viśeṣaṇa (Indefinite qualifier)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: kiṃcit (अव्यय/सर्वनाम-निपात)
• Form: अव्यय; अनिश्चितपरिमाणवाचक (indefinite: something/a certain)

• nṛṇām: of men
• nṛṇām: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nṛ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन

• anyat: other
• anyat: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: anya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifying bandhanam)

• apaśyatā: by (one) not seeing
• apaśyatā: Hetu/Condition (हेतु)
• Type: Verb
• Root: a-paśyat (√dṛś/paśy धातु)
• Form: वर्तमानकृदन्त (शतृ/अत्), पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन; नकारार्थे (not seeing)

• strī-rūpeṇa: in the form of a woman
• strī-rūpeṇa: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: strī (प्रातिपदिक) + rūpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन; तृतीया-तत्पुरुष/उपपद (striyāḥ rūpeṇa)

• tataḥ: therefore/then
• tataḥ: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tataḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अव्यय-प्रयोग (adverb: therefore/then)

• kaḥ: someone
• kaḥ: Karta (Indefinite agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kim (प्रातिपदिक/सर्वनाम)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; अनिश्चितार्थे (someone)

• api: even/also
• api: Discourse particle (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात (particle: even/also)

• pāśaḥ: a noose/snare
• pāśaḥ: Karta (Predicate nominative/समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pāśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• ayam: this
• ayam: Viśeṣaṇa (Demonstrative qualifier)
• Type: Noun
• Root: idam (प्रातिपदिक/सर्वनाम)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• su-dṛḍhaḥ: very firm
• su-dṛḍhaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: su (उपसर्ग/अव्यय) + dṛḍha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; उपसर्गपूर्वक विशेषण

• kṛtaḥ: made/created
• kṛtaḥ: Kriyā (Predicate participle)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kṛ (धातु)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (क्त), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; कर्मणि (made)

Speaker

Unspecified (didactic narrator voice in Nāgarakhaṇḍa Tīrthamāhātmya)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A cosmic artisan (Vedhas/Brahmā) forging a strong rope-noose; beside it, a human figure bound by the noose of attachment, while a distant tīrtha-ghāṭa and temple spire suggest the path of release.

Characters & Entities

• Vedhā (Brahmā)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Bondage is fundamentally mental and desire-based; liberation requires breaking inner ‘nooses’ through discipline and insight.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific tīrtha is named in this verse; it functions as a general teaching within the Tīrthamāhātmya.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly; the verse is explanatory, not prescriptive.