Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 25

Devanagari script

लोहजंघ उवाच । व्यसनार्थं न मे कृत्यमेतच्चौर्यसमुद्भवम् । कुटुम्बार्थं विजानीथ धर्ममेतन्न संशयः

Transliteration

lohajaṃgha uvāca | vyasanārthaṃ na me kṛtyametaccauryasamudbhavam | kuṭumbārthaṃ vijānītha dharmametanna saṃśayaḥ

Translation

Lohajaṃgha sprach: „Diese Tat von mir, aus Diebstahl hervorgegangen, tue ich nicht aus Genuss. Wisst: Sie geschieht um meiner Familie willen; daran besteht kein Zweifel—so halte ich es für Dharma.“

Word by Word

• lohajaṃghaḥ: Lohajaṅgha
• lohajaṃghaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: lohajaṃgha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन (नाम)

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• vyasana-artham: for (mere) vice/calamity
• vyasana-artham: Prayojana (प्रयोजन/अव्ययार्थ)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vyasana (प्रातिपदिक) + artha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रयोजनार्थक (for the sake of calamity/vices)

• na: not
• na: Pratishedha (प्रतिषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक-अव्यय (negation)

• me: my
• me: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• kṛtyam: duty; what is to be done
• kṛtyam: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kṛtya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• etat: this
• etat: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: etad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifying kṛtyam)

• caurya-samudbhavam: arising from theft
• caurya-samudbhavam: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: caurya (प्रातिपदिक) + samudbhava (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (cauryāt samudbhavam)

• kuṭumba-artham: for (support of) the family
• kuṭumba-artham: Prayojana (प्रयोजन/अव्ययार्थ)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: kuṭumba (प्रातिपदिक) + artha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रयोजनार्थक (for the sake of family)

• vijānītha: know/understand (you all)
• vijānītha: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: jñā (धातु)
• Form: लोट्-लकार (Imperative), मध्यमपुरुष, बहुवचन, परस्मैपद; उपसर्ग-वि

• dharmam: righteousness; proper conduct
• dharmam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dharma (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• etat: this
• etat: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: etad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifying dharmam)

• na: no; not
• na: Pratishedha (प्रतिषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक-अव्यय (negation)

• saṃśayaḥ: doubt
• saṃśayaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: saṃśaya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

Speaker

Lohajaṃgha

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Ṛṣayaḥ (sages)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Lohajaṃgha speaks earnestly, palms slightly open in explanation; sages listen with grave faces, weighing his claim that theft is ‘dharma’ for family.

Characters & Entities

• Lohajaṃgha

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

It highlights how people may rationalize unethical acts as “dharma” for family support, prompting discernment between true dharma and self-justification.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

This verse itself is a dialogue line within the Nāgarakhaṇḍa’s Tīrthamāhātmya framework; the specific tīrtha is not named in this single śloka excerpt.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No direct ritual (snāna, dāna, japa, vrata) is prescribed in this verse; it is an ethical statement within a narrative.