Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 37

Devanagari script

न परत्र भयादेता मर्यादां विदधुः स्त्रियः । मुक्त्वा भूपभयं चैकमथवा गुरुजं भयम्

Transliteration

na paratra bhayādetā maryādāṃ vidadhuḥ striyaḥ | muktvā bhūpabhayaṃ caikamathavā gurujaṃ bhayam

Translation

عورتیں پرلوک کے خوف سے آچرن کی حدیں مقرر نہیں کرتیں؛ بلکہ صرف بادشاہ کی سزا کے ایک خوف سے—یا شاید بڑوں اور گروؤں سے پیدا ہونے والے خوف سے—وہ ایسی پابندیاں قائم کرتی ہیں۔

Word by Word

• na: not
• na: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक-अव्यय

• paratra: elsewhere / in the other world
• paratra: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: paratra (अव्यय)
• Form: देश/कालवाचक-अव्यय (adverb: elsewhere/afterwards)

• bhayāt: from fear
• bhayāt: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhaya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/Ablative), एकवचन

• etāḥ: these (women)
• etāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: etad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; सर्वनाम

• maryādām: a boundary / propriety
• maryādām: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: maryādā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• vidadhuḥ: they established
• vidadhuḥ: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: dhā (धा धातु) + vi (उपसर्ग)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), बहुवचन; परस्मैपद

• striyaḥ: women
• striyaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: strī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन

• muktvā: having abandoned / excepting
• muktvā: Kriya (Non-finite/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: muc (मुच् धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (absolutive/gerund)

• bhūpa-bhayam: fear of the king
• bhūpa-bhayam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhūpa (प्रातिपदिक) + bhaya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (भूपस्य भयम्)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• ekam: one (single)
• ekam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: eka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; विशेषण

• athavā: or else
• athavā: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: athavā (अव्यय)
• Form: विकल्पार्थक-अव्यय (disjunctive particle)

• guru-jam: arising from the teacher/elder
• guru-jam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: guru (प्रातिपदिक) + ja (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; उपपद/तत्पुरुष (गुरोः जातम्) विशेषण

• bhayam: fear
• bhayam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhaya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

Speaker

Narrative voice (contextually within Sūta’s narration; explicit speaker not marked in this verse)

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Śaunaka and Naimiṣāraṇya sages (frame)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A court-and-āśrama contrast: on one side a king with scepter (daṇḍa) symbolizing punishment; on the other a guru/elder in an āśrama setting; between them a woman at a threshold (maryādā) indicating boundaries of conduct—illustrating external vs internal restraint.

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Speech that generalizes or disparages others becomes a cause for moral downfall; dharma is upheld by restraint and right view.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

This verse sits inside the Nāgarakhaṇḍa Tīrthamāhātmya narrative; the immediate verse emphasizes ethical critique rather than naming a specific tīrtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit rite (snāna, dāna, japa, vrata) is prescribed in this verse.