Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 17

Devanagari script

कृतघ्न उवाच । न मे गतिर्महाराज संजाता पापकर्मिणः । तडागवित्तचौरस्य कृतघ्नस्य तथैव च

Transliteration

kṛtaghna uvāca | na me gatirmahārāja saṃjātā pāpakarmiṇaḥ | taḍāgavittacaurasya kṛtaghnasya tathaiva ca

Translation

কৃতঘ্ন ক’লে: হে মহাৰাজ, পাপকর্মী মোৰ বাবে কোনো সুগতি জন্মা নাই—পুখুৰীৰ বাবে সংৰক্ষিত ধন চুৰ কৰা আৰু অকৃতজ্ঞ হোৱা মই একেই।

Word by Word

• कृतघ्नः: Kṛtaghna (the ungrateful one)
• कृतघ्नः: कर्ता (Speaker/subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कृतघ्न (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: क्रिया (Speech verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect/लिट्), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• न: not
• न: निपात (Negation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, निषेध-निपात (negation particle)

• मे: my
• मे: सम्बन्ध (Genitive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (6th) एकवचन (enclitic genitive)

• गतिः: refuge, course, salvation
• गतिः: कर्ता/विषय (Subject complement)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• महाराज: O great king
• महाराज: सम्बोधन (Vocative address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महाराज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th/सम्बोधन), एकवचन; समासः: महान् राजा (कर्मधारयः)

• संजाता: has arisen, has come about
• संजाता: विधेय (Predicative)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम् + जन् (धातु) → संजात (कृदन्त)
• Form: कृदन्त (क्त, past passive participle) from √जन् with उपसर्ग सम्; स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (agreeing with ‘गतिः’)

• पापकर्मिणः: of the evil-doer
• पापकर्मिणः: सम्बन्ध (Genitive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पापकर्मिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), एकवचन; समासः: पापं कर्म यस्य (बहुव्रीहिः-सम्भाव्य) परन्तु रूपतः ‘पापकर्मिन्’ तद्धित/बहुव्रीहि-प्रातिपदिक; अत्र षष्ठी-एकवचन

• तडागवित्तचौरस्य: of the thief of the pond’s wealth
• तडागवित्तचौरस्य: सम्बन्ध (Genitive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तडाग + वित्त + चौर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), एकवचन; समासः: तडागस्य वित्तस्य चौरः (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः; बहुपद-समास)

• कृतघ्नस्य: of the ungrateful one
• कृतघ्नस्य: सम्बन्ध (Genitive, apposition)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कृतघ्न (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), एकवचन

• तथा: thus, likewise
• तथा: प्रकार-निर्देश
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, प्रकारवाचक (manner adverb)

• एव: indeed
• एव: निपात (Emphasis)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, अवधारण-निपात

• च: and
• च: समुच्चय (Conjunction)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, समुच्चय-निपात (conjunction)

Speaker

Kṛtaghna (the preta, self-identifying)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: In the dream, the preta speaks with folded hands, face contorted by pain; behind him a faint vision of an unfinished/neglected pond project symbolizes the stolen taḍāga funds.

Characters & Entities

• Vidūratha (mahārāja, addressed)
• Kṛtaghna (preta)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Misappropriating sacred/public welfare resources and ingratitude are condemned as heavy sins with severe post-death consequences.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Not yet specified; the verse focuses on the preta’s confession of sin.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Implicitly, it points to the merit of building/maintaining water tanks (taḍāga) and the grave fault of stealing such funds.