Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 55

Devanagari script

व्यालग्राही यथा व्यालं बलादुद्धरते बिलात । एवमुत्क्रम्य दूतेभ्यः पतिं स्वर्गं नयेत्सती

Transliteration

vyālagrāhī yathā vyālaṃ balāduddharate bilāta | evamutkramya dūtebhyaḥ patiṃ svargaṃ nayetsatī

Translation

جیسے سانپ پکڑنے والا زور سے سانپ کو بل سے باہر کھینچ لیتا ہے، ویسے ہی ستی پتिवرتا بیوی یم کے دوتوں کے مقابل اٹھ کر اپنے شوہر کو سُورگ لے جاتی ہے۔

Word by Word

• व्यालग्राही: a snake-catcher
• व्यालग्राही: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vyāla + grāhin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा (Nominative/कर्ता), एकवचन (Singular); उपपद-तत्पुरुष: व्यालं गृह्णाति इति

• यथा: as, just as
• यथा: Sambandha (Comparative marker/उपमान)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yathā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (Avyaya), उपमानवाचक/समुच्चयार्थ (comparative particle: 'as')

• व्यालम्: a snake
• व्यालम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vyāla (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), द्वितीया (Accusative/कर्म), एकवचन (Singular)

• बलात्: by force
• बलात्: Karana (Means/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), पञ्चमी (Ablative used adverbially), एकवचन (Singular); हेतौ/प्रकारे—‘by force/forcibly’

• उद्धरते: pulls out, extracts
• उद्धरते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ud√hṛ (धातु: हृ)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular), आत्मनेपद (Ātmanepada); उपसर्ग: उद्-

• बिलात्: from a hole/burrow
• बिलात्: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bila (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), पञ्चमी (Ablative/अपादान), एकवचन (Singular)

• एवम्: thus
• एवम्: Kriya-vishesana (Adverbial modifier/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: evam (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (Avyaya), प्रकारवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (adverb of manner)

• उत्क्रम्य: having overstepped/escaped
• उत्क्रम्य: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action/पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ut√kram (धातु: क्रम्)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (Gerund/Absolutive), पूर्वकाल (having done); उपसर्ग: उत्-

• दूतेभ्यः: from the messengers
• दूतेभ्यः: Apadana (Source/Separation/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dūta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), पञ्चमी (Ablative/अपादान), बहुवचन (Plural)

• पतिम्: husband
• पतिम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pati (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), द्वितीया (Accusative/कर्म), एकवचन (Singular)

• स्वर्गम्: to heaven
• स्वर्गम्: Gati/Karma (Goal/गति)
• Type: Noun
• Root: svarga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), द्वितीया (Accusative used as goal/गति), एकवचन (Singular)

• नयेत्: should lead
• नयेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √nī (धातु: नी)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular), परस्मैपद (Parasmaipada)

• सती: the virtuous wife
• सती: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: satī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine), प्रथमा (Nominative/कर्ता), एकवचन (Singular)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśī-khaṇḍa commonly Skanda → Agastya)

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Pilgrimage-inquirer audience

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A virtuous wife stands firm before dark, fearsome Yama-messengers; with radiant resolve she pulls her husband away from their grasp like a snake-charmer drawing a serpent from a hole.

Characters & Entities

• Yamadūtas
• Svarga

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pativratā-dharma is portrayed as spiritually protective, capable of overcoming fearful forces and elevating the family.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The immediate focus is ethical-mahātmya (pativratā’s power) within the Kāśī-khaṇḍa, not a named tīrtha in this verse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No ritual is described; it is a dharmic ideal illustrated through a vivid simile.