Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 48

Devanagari script

उद्गात्रा देव चात्मीयो मार्गः श्रुतिविवर्जितः । विहितः कन्यकां धृत्वा सदोमध्ये सुरेश्वर

Transliteration

udgātrā deva cātmīyo mārgaḥ śrutivivarjitaḥ | vihitaḥ kanyakāṃ dhṛtvā sadomadhye sureśvara

Translation

“اے دیو! ایک اُدگاتَر پجاری نے اپنی ہی ایک رسم قائم کی ہے جو شروتی (وید) کی سند سے خالی ہے—اے سُریشور! سبھا کے بیچ ایک کنیا کو بٹھا کر۔”

Word by Word

• udgātrā: by the Udgātṛ (priest)
• udgātrā: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: udgātṛ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), एकवचन — ‘by the Udgātṛ priest’

• deva: O god
• deva: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th), एकवचन — ‘O god’

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (समुच्चय) — ‘and’

• ātmīyaḥ: one’s own
• ātmīyaḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ātmīya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन — ‘one’s own, personal’

• mārgaḥ: path
• mārgaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mārga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन — ‘path/way’

• śruti-vivarjitaḥ: devoid of śruti (Veda)
• śruti-vivarjitaḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śruti (प्रातिपदिक) + vivarjita (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; √vṛj/varj (धातु) + वि + क्त)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (पञ्चमी: ‘श्रुतेः विवर्जितः’), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन — ‘devoid of Vedic authority’

• vihitaḥ: is prescribed
• vihitaḥ: Kriya (Predicative/क्रिया-विशेष)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vihita (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; √dhā (धातु) + वि + क्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त, पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन — ‘prescribed/ordained’

• kanyakām: a maiden
• kanyakām: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kanyakā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन — ‘a maiden’

• dhṛtvā: having taken (holding)
• dhṛtvā: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: dhṛtvā (कृदन्त-अव्यय; √dhṛ (धातु) + क्त्वा)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय — ‘having taken/holding’

• sadaḥ-madhye: in the middle of the assembly
• sadaḥ-madhye: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sadas (प्रातिपदिक) + madhya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (सप्तमी: ‘सदसि मध्ये’), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन — ‘in the middle of the assembly’

• sureśvara: O lord of gods
• sureśvara: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sureśvara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th), एकवचन — ‘O lord of gods’

Speaker

Bhṛgu (addressing Brahmā / divine authority figure in context)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Brahmā (Pitāmaha)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Bhṛgu, hands folded, reports to Brahmā: an Udgātṛ has created a non-Vedic practice—placing a maiden in the center of the assembly.

Characters & Entities

• Bhṛgu
• Brahmā (implied addressee as Pitāmaha in prior verse)
• Udgātṛ
• Kanyakā (maiden)
• Sadas (assembly)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Even powerful religious acts must be aligned with śruti-smṛti dharma; Purāṇas uphold sacred innovation only when it does not contradict Vedic authority.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse focuses on ritual legitimacy in a divine assembly; the specific earthly tīrtha is not named in this shloka.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A contested practice is mentioned: placing a maiden in the center of an assembly as part of a self-made rite, criticized as ‘śruti-vivarjita’.