Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 14

Devanagari script

उद्गातोवाच । गन्धर्वस्य सुता कस्य केन शप्तासि पुत्रिके । कदा ते भविता मोक्षो मानुषत्वस्य कीर्त्तय

Transliteration

udgātovāca | gandharvasya sutā kasya kena śaptāsi putrike | kadā te bhavitā mokṣo mānuṣatvasya kīrttaya

Translation

อุทคาตะกล่าวว่า “โอ้ลูกหญิง ในหมู่คันธรรพะเจ้าเป็นธิดาของผู้ใด? ผู้ใดสาปเจ้า? และเมื่อใดเจ้าจักได้โมกษะพ้นจากภาวะความเป็นมนุษย์นี้ จงบอกเรา”

Word by Word

• उद्गाता: the Udgātṛ (priest)
• उद्गाता: Karta (Speaker/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: उद्गातृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; वक्तृ-निर्देश

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

• गन्धर्वस्य: of a Gandharva
• गन्धर्वस्य: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गन्धर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, एकवचन

• सुता: daughter
• सुता: Karta (Subject complement/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सुता (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• कस्य: of whom?
• कस्य: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी, एकवचन; प्रश्नार्थक

• केन: by whom?
• केन: Karana/Agent-in-passive (Instrument/Agent)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तृतीया, एकवचन; प्रश्नार्थक

• शप्तासि: have been cursed
• शप्तासि: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: शप् (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past participle) ‘शप्त’ + असि (अस्, लट्, मध्यम-पुरुष, एकवचन); कर्मणि-भाव (passive sense)

• पुत्रिके: O girl/daughter
• पुत्रिके: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुत्रिका (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, संबोधन-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• कदा: when
• कदा: Question marker (प्रश्न)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: कदा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रश्नार्थक कालवाचक (interrogative adverb of time)

• ते: your
• ते: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी/चतुर्थी, एकवचन; अत्र षष्ठी (possessive) ‘your’

• भविता: will be (forthcoming)
• भविता: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: लृट्-कालवाचक कर्तरि कृदन्त (future active participle/परस्मैपदी-भाव) ‘one who will be’; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘mokṣaḥ’ इत्यस्य विशेषण

• मोक्षः: liberation
• मोक्षः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मोक्ष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• मानुषत्वस्य: of human-ness (human state)
• मानुषत्वस्य: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मानुषत्व (प्रातिपदिक) = मानुष + त्व
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, एकवचन

• कीर्त्तय: tell, relate
• कीर्त्तय: Vidhi (Injunction/विधि)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कीर्तय् (धातु; नामधातु from कीर्ति)
• Form: लोट्-लकार (Imperative), मध्यम-पुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

Speaker

Udgāta (Mudgāta, the questioner)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Udgāta questions the maiden with compassionate seriousness; the maiden’s face shows restrained sorrow, hinting at a curse, while the sacred fire glows nearby as the implied remedy.

Characters & Entities

• Udgāta
• Gandharva

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Suffering is framed as karmic consequence (śāpa), and liberation is sought through understanding its cause and end.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No tīrtha is named in this verse; it prepares for a tīrtha-linked account of curse and release.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly; the focus is on inquiry into śāpa and mokṣa.