Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 29

Devanagari script

यस्मिन्धर्मे दया नैव स धर्मो दूषितो मतः । दयां विना न विज्ञानं न धर्मो ज्ञानमेव च

Transliteration

yasmindharme dayā naiva sa dharmo dūṣito mataḥ | dayāṃ vinā na vijñānaṃ na dharmo jñānameva ca

Translation

كلُّ دَرْمٍ تخلو منه الرحمة يُعَدُّ دَرْمًا مُفسَدًا. فبغير الرحمة لا تمييزَ حقًّا، ولا دَرْمَ، ولا حتى معرفةٌ روحيةٌ صادقة.

Word by Word

• यस्मिन्: in which
• यस्मिन्: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Relative pronoun locative singular

• धर्मे: in dharma
• धर्मे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धर्म (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Locative singular

• दया: compassion
• दया: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दया (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Nominative singular

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Negation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निषेध-निपात

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

• सः: that
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Pronoun nominative singular

• धर्मः: dharma
• धर्मः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धर्म (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Nominative singular

• दूषितः: corrupted
• दूषितः: Vidhi (Predicate adjective/विधेय)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दूष् (धातु) + क्त (कृत्-प्रत्यय)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘tainted/corrupted’

• मतः: is considered
• मतः: Kriya (Predicative/क्रिया)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मन् (धातु) + क्त (कृत्-प्रत्यय)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘considered/held to be’

• दयाम्: compassion
• दयाम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दया (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Accusative singular

• विना: without
• विना: Sambandha (Exclusion/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: विना (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; उपसर्गसदृश-निपात (prepositional indeclinable) — ‘without’ (सह द्वितीया)

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Negation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निषेध-निपात

• विज्ञानम्: true knowledge, discernment
• विज्ञानम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विज्ञान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Nominative singular

• न: nor
• न: Sambandha (Negation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निषेध-निपात

• धर्मः: dharma
• धर्मः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धर्म (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Nominative singular

• ज्ञानम्: knowledge
• ज्ञानम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ज्ञान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Nominative singular

• एव: alone/indeed
• एव: Sambandha (Emphasis/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधारण-निपात

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Conjunction/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय-निपात (conjunction)

Speaker

Brahmā (inferred from chapter colophon context)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra (contextual)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Nārada

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A symbolic balance: on one side ritual implements and scriptures, on the other compassionate acts; the scale tips toward compassion as the purifier of dharma and knowledge.

Characters & Entities

• Dayā (compassion)
• Dharma
• Vijñāna
• Jñāna

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Compassion is the non-negotiable foundation of dharma and authentic spiritual insight.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

This ethical teaching is delivered within the Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra Māhātmya setting of Nāgara-khaṇḍa’s Tīrthamāhātmya.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Adopt dayā (compassion) as a guiding rule for all vrata and tīrtha conduct; without it, ritual and knowledge are deemed defective.