Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 66

Devanagari script

यो दत्त्वा कन्यकां वाचा पश्चाद्धरति दुर्मतिः । स याति नरकं चेति धर्मशास्त्रेषु निश्चितम्

Transliteration

yo dattvā kanyakāṃ vācā paścāddharati durmatiḥ | sa yāti narakaṃ ceti dharmaśāstreṣu niścitam

Translation

凡以誓言许嫁少女而后又反悔夺回者，心怀恶念，必堕地狱；此在诸《法论》(Dharmaśāstra)中已定无疑。

Word by Word

• यः: who (he who)
• यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक-सर्वनाम (relative pronoun)

• दत्त्वा: having given
• दत्त्वा: Kriya (Gerundial action/पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दा (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (Gerund/Absolutive), पूर्वक्रिया (having given)

• कन्यकाम्: a maiden/daughter
• कन्यकाम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कन्यका (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• वाचा: by word/promise
• वाचा: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वाच् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन

• पश्चात्: afterwards
• पश्चात्: Adhikarana (Time/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पश्चात् (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (adverb of time)

• हरति: takes away/withdraws
• हरति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: हृ (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन

• दुर्मतिः: the evil-minded man
• दुर्मतिः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दुर्मति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; गुणवाचक-नाम (one of evil mind)

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; संकेत-सर्वनाम (demonstrative)

• याति: goes
• याति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: या (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• नरकम्: to hell
• नरकम्: Gati-Karma (Destination/गत्यर्थकर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नरक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-बोधक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• इति: thus
• इति: Sambandha (Quotation marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति (अव्यय)
• Form: उद्धरण/निगमनार्थक-अव्यय (quotative particle)

• धर्मशास्त्रेषु: in the dharma-texts
• धर्मशास्त्रेषु: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धर्मशास्त्र (प्रातिपदिक; धर्म + शास्त्र)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), बहुवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (धर्मस्य शास्त्रम्)

• निश्चितम्: is निश्चित/settled
• निश्चितम्: Kriya (Predicative/विधेय)
• Type: Verb
• Root: नि + चि (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; भावे/कर्मणि प्रयोगः—‘is determined/settled’

Speaker

The cursed petitioner (unnamed in the snippet)

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: A brāhmaṇa interlocutor (e.g., Vyāsa/Śaunaka-frame typical of Purāṇic narration; specific listener not explicit in this verse)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A solemn dharma-court-like moment: a brāhmaṇa/muni confronted with the consequence of retracting a pledged kanyā-dāna; scriptures or sages as witnesses; atmosphere of moral dread.

Characters & Entities

• Dharmaśāstra
• naraka

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Breaking a solemn promise—especially in sacred social rites like marriage—has grave spiritual consequences.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No site is glorified in this verse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

It references the dharmic rule surrounding kanyādāna by word (vācā) and forbids withdrawing it after pledging.