Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 161

Devanagari script

अभद्रेण सुभद्रेण श्वशुरेण दुरात्मना । एतज्जानाम्यहं विप्रा गोत्रं वासिष्ठमेव वा

Transliteration

abhadreṇa subhadreṇa śvaśureṇa durātmanā | etajjānāmyahaṃ viprā gotraṃ vāsiṣṭhameva vā

Translation

اے برہمنو! میں بس اتنا ہی جانتا ہوں کہ بدطینت سسر اَبھدر (سُبھدر کا بیٹا) نے بتایا کہ میرا گوتر واسیِشٹھ ہے۔

Word by Word

• abhadreṇa: by/with an unfortunate (one)
• abhadreṇa: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: a-bhadra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/करण), एकवचन; नञ्-समास-पूर्वपद (a- = negation)

• subhadreṇa: by/with an auspicious (one)
• subhadreṇa: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: su-bhadra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/करण), एकवचन; उपसर्ग-पूर्वपद su-

• śvaśureṇa: by/with the father-in-law
• śvaśureṇa: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śvaśura (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/करण), एकवचन

• durātmanā: by/with an evil-minded (one)
• durātmanā: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dur-ātman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय-समास (दुरः आत्मा यस्य/दुरात्मा = evil-souled); पुल्लिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/करण), एकवचन

• etat: this
• etat: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: etat (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन

• jānāmi: I know
• jānāmi: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √jñā (धातु)
• Form: लट् (present), परस्मैपद; उत्तमपुरुष (1st person), एकवचन

• aham: I
• aham: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• viprāḥ: O Brahmins
• viprāḥ: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vipra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th/सम्बोधन), बहुवचन

• gotram: clan/lineage
• gotram: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gotra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन

• vāsiṣṭham: Vāsiṣṭha (of Vasiṣṭha)
• vāsiṣṭham: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vāsiṣṭha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; gotram इति विशेषण

• eva: indeed/only
• eva: Sambandha (Emphasis/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारणार्थक-अव्यय (emphatic particle)

• vā: or
• vā: Sambandha (Alternative/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vā (अव्यय)
• Form: विकल्पार्थक-अव्यय (disjunctive particle)

Speaker

The pilgrim/unknown man

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The speaker, anxious yet honest, tells the brāhmaṇas that he only knows his gotra as Vāsiṣṭha, information received from a cruel father-in-law; the brāhmaṇas listen gravely.

Characters & Entities

• Vasiṣṭha
• Vāsiṣṭha-gotra
• Brāhmaṇa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

When lineage knowledge is fragmented or unreliable, dharma still seeks a compassionate, procedure-based path to purification.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse is part of a tīrtha-context dialogue but does not itself name the tīrtha; it focuses on identity needed for śuddhi.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

It supplies partial gotra information (Vāsiṣṭha) relevant to determining proper śuddhi rites.