Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 4

Devanagari script

चातुर्मास्ये कथं जातं कि ग्राह्यं व्रतमुच्यते । अनुग्रहं कृतवती सा कथं को ह्यनुग्रहः

Transliteration

cāturmāsye kathaṃ jātaṃ ki grāhyaṃ vratamucyate | anugrahaṃ kṛtavatī sā kathaṃ ko hyanugrahaḥ

Translation

เหตุนี้เกิดขึ้นได้อย่างไรในกาลจาตุรมาสยะ? ในเวลานั้นกล่าวกันว่าควรรับปฏิบัติวรตใด? นางประทานพระกรุณาอย่างไร—และแท้จริงแล้วพระกรุณานั้นคือสิ่งใด?

Word by Word

• चातुर्मास्ये: in the Cāturmāsya (four-month period)
• चातुर्मास्ये: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चातुर्मास्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन; द्विगुसमासः (चतुर् + मास)

• कथम्: how
• कथम्: Sambandha (Modifier/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: कथम् (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रश्नार्थक-अव्यय (interrogative adverb)

• जातम्: arose/occurred
• जातम्: Karma/Predicate (कर्म/विधेय)
• Type: Verb
• Root: जन् (धातु) → जात (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; past participle ‘born/occurred’

• किम्: what
• किम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; interrogative pronoun

• ग्राह्यम्: to be adopted
• ग्राह्यम्: Visheshana (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ग्रह् (धातु) → ग्राह्य (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भाव्य/अनुज्ञार्थक कृदन्त (यत्/ण्यत्), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘to be taken/observed’

• व्रतम्: vow
• व्रतम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: व्रत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (contextually द्वितीया), एकवचन

• उच्यते: is said
• उच्यते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; कर्मणि प्रयोग (passive)

• अनुग्रहम्: favor/grace
• अनुग्रहम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अनुग्रह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन

• कृतवती: did/has done
• कृतवती: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु) → कृतवत् (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्तवत्), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘having done’

• सा: she
• सा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; demonstrative pronoun

• कथम्: how
• कथम्: Sambandha (Modifier/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: कथम् (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रश्नार्थक-अव्यय (interrogative adverb)

• कः: who/what (which)
• कः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; interrogative pronoun

• हि: indeed
• हि: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle), अवधान/हेतुवाचक (emphatic/causal)

• अनुग्रहः: the favor/grace
• अनुग्रहः: Karta/Predicate (कर्ता/विधेय)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अनुग्रह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन

Speaker

Unspecified in snippet (questioner)

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Śūdra (questioner)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Monsoon-time setting: clouds, rain-washed courtyard; the listener asks about Cāturmāsya vows; a symbolic calendar/lotus-leaf manuscript appears; Devī’s ‘grace’ hinted as a soft light descending.

Characters & Entities

• Cāturmāsya
• Gaurī

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharma is learned through inquiry: the verse frames Cāturmāsya as a sacred time for vows and for receiving divine grace.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No tīrtha is explicitly named in this verse; it prepares for a tīrtha/vrata explanation within the chapter.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

It asks about the Cāturmāsya-vrata to be adopted, but does not specify details in this verse.