Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 11

Devanagari script

तं श्रुत्वा तस्य विप्रस्य यमः शापं सुदारुणम् । स्वधर्मे वर्तमानस्तु ततो दुःखा न्वितोऽभवत्

Transliteration

taṃ śrutvā tasya viprasya yamaḥ śāpaṃ sudāruṇam | svadharme vartamānastu tato duḥkhā nvito'bhavat

Translation

فلما سمع يَما اللعنة الشديدة الرهيبة التي نطق بها ذلك البراهمن، مع كونه قائمًا على دهرماه المقرّرة، غلبه الحزن من بعد ذلك.

Word by Word

• tam: that (him/it)
• tam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन (Singular)

• śrutvā: having heard
• śrutvā: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √śru (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund), पूर्वकाल (having heard)

• tasya: of him
• tasya: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive), एकवचन (Singular)

• viprasya: of the brāhmaṇa
• viprasya: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vipra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive), एकवचन (Singular)

• yamaḥ: Yama
• yamaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

• śāpam: curse
• śāpam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śāpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन (Singular)

• sudāruṇam: very terrible
• sudāruṇam: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: su (उपसर्ग/अव्यय) + dāruṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन (Singular); विशेषणम् (qualifying ‘śāpam’)

• svadharme: in his own duty
• svadharme: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sva (प्रातिपदिक) + dharma (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative), एकवचन (Singular); ‘स्वस्य धर्मः’ (one’s own duty)

• vartamānaḥ: acting/abiding
• vartamānaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √vṛt (धातु)
• Form: शतृ-प्रत्ययान्त वर्तमानकाले कृदन्त (present active participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘स्थितः/आचरन्’

• tu: but/indeed
• tu: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: विरोध/विशेषबोधक-अव्यय (but/indeed)

• tataḥ: thereupon/from that
• tataḥ: Hetu (हेतु)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tataḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: अपादानार्थक/हेतुबोधक-अव्यय (from that/thereupon)

• duḥkha-anvitaḥ: filled with sorrow
• duḥkha-anvitaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: duḥkha (प्रातिपदिक) + anvita (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन (Singular); ‘दुःखेन अन्वितः’ (endowed with sorrow)

• abhavat: became
• abhavat: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √bhū (धातु)
• Form: लङ्-लकार (Imperfect/Past), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular), परस्मैपद

Speaker

Narrator (contextual; likely Sūta’s narration within the Māhātmya frame)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Yama, regal yet shaken, hears the curse; his posture droops, eyes lowered; attendants and a darkened aura convey the ‘sudāruṇa’ weight of the śāpa, while a faint dharma-scale motif remains behind him.

Characters & Entities

• Yama
• Vipra (Brāhmaṇa)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Even when one stands in svadharma, the moral weight of events and the force of a brāhmaṇa’s words can shake the mind—prompting humility and seeking rightful resolution.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

This verse is part of the Nāgarakhaṇḍa Tīrthamāhātmya narrative frame; the specific tīrtha is not named in this single śloka.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None in this verse; it sets the narrative tension (curse and sorrow) rather than prescribing snāna, dāna, or japa.