Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 8

Devanagari script

मद्यभांडमपि प्रायो यथावद्वह्निशोधितम् । विशुध्यति तथा नारी वह्निदग्धा विशुध्यति । यस्या रेतोऽथ संक्रांत मुदरांतेऽन्यसंभवम्

Transliteration

madyabhāṃḍamapi prāyo yathāvadvahniśodhitam | viśudhyati tathā nārī vahnidagdhā viśudhyati | yasyā reto'tha saṃkrāṃta mudarāṃte'nyasaṃbhavam

Translation

ดังภาชนะสุรา เมื่อชำระด้วยไฟตามครรลองย่อมสะอาดฉันใด สตรีก็ย่อมบริสุทธิ์ได้เมื่อถูกไฟเผาฉันนั้น—สตรีผู้ซึ่งมีเชื้อของผู้อื่นล่วงเข้าสู่ครรภ์ และมีครรภ์เป็นบุตรจากกำเนิดอื่นภายในท้อง

Word by Word

• मद्यभाण्डम्: a liquor-vessel
• मद्यभाण्डम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: madya + bhāṇḍa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (मद्यस्य भाण्डम्)

• अपि: even/also
• अपि: Sambandha (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय/अपि-अव्यय (particle: 'also/even')

• प्रायः: generally
• प्रायः: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: prāyaḥ (अव्यय/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb: 'generally/for the most part')

• यथावत्: properly
• यथावत्: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yathāvat (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb: 'properly, as prescribed')

• वह्निशोधितम्: purified by fire
• वह्निशोधितम्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vahni + śodhita (प्रातिपदिक; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण; तृतीया-तत्पुरुष (वह्निना शोधितम्)

• विशुध्यति: becomes completely pure
• विशुध्यति: Kriyā (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vi + √śudh (शुध् धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार, प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन, आत्मनेपद

• तथा: likewise
• तथा: Upamā/Prakāra (Manner)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tathā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb: 'likewise/so')

• नारी: a woman
• नारी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nārī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• वह्निदग्धा: burnt by fire
• वह्निदग्धा: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vahni + dagdhā (प्रातिपदिक; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण; तृतीया-तत्पुरुष (वह्निना दग्धा)

• विशुध्यति: becomes completely pure
• विशुध्यति: Kriyā (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vi + √śudh (शुध् धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार, प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन, आत्मनेपद

• यस्याः: of whom/whose
• यस्याः: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सम्बन्धक (relative)

• रेतः: semen
• रेतः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: retas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; अत्र प्रथमा (subject) अधिकयुक्तम्

• अथ: then/and
• अथ: Sambandha (Discourse particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atha (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (particle: 'then/now/and')

• संक्रान्तम्: having entered
• संक्रान्तम्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: saṃ + √kram (क्रम् धातु) → saṃkrānta (प्रातिपदिक; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषण (having entered/transferred)

• उदरान्ते: in the interior/end of the belly (womb)
• उदरान्ते: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: udara + anta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (उदरस्य अन्तः/अन्ते)

• अन्यसम्भवम्: arising from another (i.e., another man's)
• अन्यसम्भवम्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: anya + sambhava (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषण; तत्पुरुष (अन्यतः सम्भवः)

Speaker

Gautama

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A stark didactic image: ritual fire as purifier, with the analogy of a vessel being heated; the human consequence is implied rather than graphically shown, emphasizing the severity of the ruling.

Characters & Entities

• Gautama
• Agni (fire)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

It presents an intense expiatory logic using fire as the supreme purifier, reflecting a narrative debate on how śuddhi is (or is not) restored.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

This verse itself does not name a tīrtha; it supports the chapter’s broader tīrtha-māhātmya discourse through a śuddhi argument.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Fire-purification is referenced conceptually; no detailed procedure is specified in this line.