Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 16

Devanagari script

अर्धसंयमितैः केशैस्तथान्यास्त्यक्तबालकाः । एकस्मिंश्चरणे काश्चिन्नियोज्योपानहं द्रुताः

Transliteration

ardhasaṃyamitaiḥ keśaistathānyāstyaktabālakāḥ | ekasmiṃścaraṇe kāścinniyojyopānahaṃ drutāḥ

Translation

کچھ عورتوں کے بال جلدی میں آدھے بندھے رہ گئے، کچھ نے اپنے بچوں کو پیچھے چھوڑ دیا؛ اور کچھ نے ایک پاؤں میں جوتا چڑھا کر فوراً دوڑ لگا دی۔

Word by Word

• अर्धसंयमितैः: with half-tied/half-restrained
• अर्धसंयमितैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अर्ध + संयमित (कृदन्त; √यम् धातु, क्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), बहुवचन; Instrumental Plural; समासः—तत्पुरुष (विशेषण)

• केशैः: with (their) hair
• केशैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: केश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), बहुवचन; Instrumental Plural

• तथा: thus/also
• तथा: Sambandha (Discourse connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अव्यय-प्रकारः—समुच्चय/उपमानार्थक (adverb: ‘thus/also’)

• अन्याः: others (women)
• अन्याः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अन्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), बहुवचन; Nominative Plural

• त्यक्तबालकाः: having left their children behind
• त्यक्तबालकाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: त्यक्त (कृदन्त; √त्यज् धातु, क्त) + बालक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), बहुवचन; Nominative Plural; समासः—तत्पुरुष (विशेषण: ‘having abandoned children’)

• एकस्मिन्: on one
• एकस्मिन्: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: एक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन; Locative Singular (used adjectivally)

• चरणे: foot
• चरणे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चरण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन; Locative Singular

• काश्चित्: some (women)
• काश्चित्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), बहुवचन; Indefinite pronoun ‘some (women)’

• नियोज्य: having put on/fastened
• नियोज्य: Purvakala (Prior action)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नि + √युज् (धातु), ल्यप् (अव्ययीभाव/कृदन्त; gerund)
• Form: अव्यय-कृदन्त (क्त्वान्त/ल्यपन्त); ‘having fastened/put on’

• उपानहम्: a shoe/sandal
• उपानहम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: उपानह्/उपानह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; Accusative Singular

• द्रुताः: running swiftly
• द्रुताः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: द्रुत (कृदन्त; √द्रु धातु, क्त)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), बहुवचन; Nominative Plural; ‘having run/quick’

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) narrating to the sages (deduced from Purāṇic māhātmya narration style within Nāgarakhaṇḍa)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Women dash out with hair half-fastened; one leaves her child; another slips a sandal onto only one foot—movement frozen mid-step, eyes fixed ahead.

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

It illustrates how overpowering worldly impulse can be, setting up a Purāṇic contrast between sense-agitation and the steadiness encouraged by dharma and tīrtha-oriented life.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

This verse sits within the Nāgarakhaṇḍa’s Tīrthamāhātmya framework (Adhyāya 213); the exact named tīrtha is not stated in this single verse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None in this verse; it is descriptive narrative rather than a direct injunction about snāna, dāna, or japa.