Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 48

Devanagari script

गालव उवाच । असच्छूद्रगतं दास निषेधं विद्धि मानद । स्त्रीणामपि च साध्वीनां नैवाभावः प्रकीर्तितः

Transliteration

gālava uvāca | asacchūdragataṃ dāsa niṣedhaṃ viddhi mānada | strīṇāmapi ca sādhvīnāṃ naivābhāvaḥ prakīrtitaḥ

Translation

گالَو نے کہا: “اے نیک مرد، اے خادم، جان لو کہ ممانعت بدکردار شُودر پر ہے؛ اور عورتوں کے لیے بھی—خصوصاً پاک دامن اور دیندار سادھویوں کے لیے—کوئی نااہلی بیان نہیں کی گئی۔”

Word by Word

• गालवः: Gālava
• गालवः: कर्ता (Speaker/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गालव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: क्रिया (Speech verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• असच्छूद्रगतम्: directed toward non-virtuous Shudras
• असच्छूद्रगतम्: विशेषण (Qualifier of ‘निषेधम्’)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: असत् (प्रातिपदिक) + शूद्र (प्रातिपदिक) + गत (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; √गम्)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; भूतकृदन्त ‘गत’ (past passive participle) ; समासः ‘असच्छूद्रेषु/असच्छूद्रं प्रति गतः’ इत्यर्थे (context: directed at non-virtuous Shudras)

• दास: O servant/O man
• दास: सम्बोधन (Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दास (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative), एकवचन

• निषेधम्: prohibition
• निषेधम्: कर्म (Object of ‘विद्धि’)
• Type: Noun
• Root: निषेध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• विद्धि: know/understand
• विद्धि: क्रिया (Command)
• Type: Verb
• Root: विद् (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (Imperative), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• मानद: O honourable one
• मानद: सम्बोधन (Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मानद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative), एकवचन; ‘मानं ददाति’ (honour-giver)

• स्त्रीणाम्: of women
• स्त्रीणाम्: सम्बन्ध (Genitive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्त्री (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन

• अपि: also
• अपि: सम्बन्ध (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय (also)

• च: and
• च: सम्बन्ध (Conjunction)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय (and)

• साध्वीनाम्: of virtuous (women)
• साध्वीनाम्: सम्बन्ध (Genitive—subset/apposition)
• Type: Noun
• Root: साध्वी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन; ‘साध्वी’ = virtuous woman

• न: not
• न: सम्बन्ध (Negation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निषेध

• एव: indeed/at all
• एव: सम्बन्ध (Emphasis)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधारण (indeed/only)

• अभावः: absence/non-existence
• अभावः: कर्ता (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अभाव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• प्रकीर्तितः: has been declared/mentioned
• प्रकीर्तितः: क्रिया (Predicate—Ppp used as verbal)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र + कीर्त् (धातु) → प्रकीर्तित (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; कर्मणि भावः ‘(अभावः) प्रकीर्तितः’

Speaker

Gālava

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Śāligrāma

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: A devotee/servant inquirer (as addressed)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Sage Gālava speaks firmly yet kindly, clarifying who is truly prohibited; women devotees and humble attendants listen with relief and devotion; Śāligrāma altar remains central.

Characters & Entities

• Gālava
• Śāligrāma-śilā

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Moral and devotional integrity is emphasized as the key qualification; blanket doubt is corrected by nuanced dharma teaching.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No particular tīrtha is named; the teaching concerns worship-eligibility around Śāligrāma.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

It clarifies that the prohibition is directed at the ‘asat’ (unvirtuous) category, while virtuous women are not declared ineligible.