Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 19

Devanagari script

ब्राह्मण उवाच । सहस्रं याच्यते कन्या करोत्येकः करग्रहम् । वाङ्मात्रेण न तस्याः स्यात्पत्नीभावः कथंचन

Transliteration

brāhmaṇa uvāca | sahasraṃ yācyate kanyā karotyekaḥ karagraham | vāṅmātreṇa na tasyāḥ syātpatnībhāvaḥ kathaṃcana

Translation

برہمن نے کہا: “ہزار لوگ کنیا کا ہاتھ مانگ سکتے ہیں، مگر کرگ्रहن (ہاتھ پکڑ کر بیاہ) ایک ہی کرتا ہے۔ محض الفاظ سے وہ کسی طرح بھی بیوی نہیں بن سکتی۔”

Word by Word

• brāhmaṇaḥ: the brahmin
• brāhmaṇaḥ: Karta (Speaker/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brāhmaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; वक्ता (speaker tag)

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriya (Speech act/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √vac (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• sahasram: a thousand (coins)
• sahasram: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sahasra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; संख्यावाचक (a thousand)

• yācyate: is asked/requested
• yācyate: Kriya (Passive predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √yāc (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद; कर्मणि-प्रयोगः (passive)

• kanyā: the maiden
• kanyā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kanyā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• karoti: does / performs
• karoti: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √kṛ (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• ekaḥ: one (man)
• ekaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: eka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्तृवाचक (one person)

• kara-graham: the taking of the hand (marriage rite)
• kara-graham: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kara (प्रातिपदिक) + graha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः; नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘करस्य ग्रहः’ (hand-taking)

• vāk-mātreṇa: by mere speech
• vāk-mātreṇa: Karana (Means/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vāc (प्रातिपदिक) + mātra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुषः; नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन; ‘वाचः मात्रेण’ = ‘by mere words’

• na: not
• na: Pratishedha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निषेध

• tasyāḥ: of her
• tasyāḥ: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, एकवचन

• syāt: would be
• syāt: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √as (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• patnī-bhāvaḥ: the status of being a wife
• patnī-bhāvaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: patnī (प्रातिपदिक) + bhāva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुषः; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘पत्नीभावः’ = पत्नी-स्थिति/पत्नी-त्वम्

• kathaṃcana: in any way at all
• kathaṃcana: Kriya-viseshana (Degree/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: kathaṃcana (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; ‘in any way/at all’ (indefinite adverb)

Speaker

Brāhmaṇa (explicit)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A brāhmaṇa teacher speaks firmly, counting suitors metaphorically as many, but pointing to the single decisive act: the bride’s hand being taken in ritual marriage.

Characters & Entities

• brāhmaṇa
• kanyā
• karagraha (marriage)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharma is grounded in valid saṃskāra (rite); social-sacral bonds like marriage require proper ritual action, not mere speech.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

None is mentioned in this verse; it is a dharma-clarifying statement within the Māhātmya narrative.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Karagraha (the formal taking of the bride’s hand) is indicated as the decisive act for establishing patnī-bhāva (wifehood).