Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 29

Devanagari script

आभ्यां च ब्रह्मशापोस्ति येन नास्ति निवर्तनम् । तस्मादत्र नृपश्रेष्ठ कुरु यत्ते क्षमं भवेत्

Transliteration

ābhyāṃ ca brahmaśāposti yena nāsti nivartanam | tasmādatra nṛpaśreṣṭha kuru yatte kṣamaṃ bhavet

Translation

Und auf jenen beiden ruht ein Fluch eines Brahmanen, durch den es kein Zurück gibt. Darum, o bester der Könige, tue hier, was dir geziemt und was dir möglich ist.

Word by Word

• ābhyām: by these two
• ābhyām: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: idam (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक; एतद्/इदम्-प्रयोग)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया/पञ्चमी (3rd/5th Inst/Abl), द्विवचन; ‘आभ्याम्’ = by/from these two

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-निपात (conjunction)

• brahmaśāpaḥ: a Brahmin's curse
• brahmaśāpaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brahma-śāpa (प्रातिपदिक; ब्रह्मन् + शाप)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समास (ब्रह्मणः शापः)

• asti: exists/is
• asti: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: as (धातु; √अस्)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• yena: by which
• yena: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन; सम्बन्धबोधक (relative pronoun)

• na: not
• na: Sambandha (Negation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक-निपात (negation particle)

• asti: is/exists
• asti: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: as (धातु; √अस्)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• nivartanam: turning back/cessation
• nivartanam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nivartana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd Nom/Acc), एकवचन

• tasmāt: therefore/from that
• tasmāt: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/Ablative), एकवचन

• atra: here
• atra: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atra (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (locative adverb)

• nṛpaśreṣṭha: O best of kings
• nṛpaśreṣṭha: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nṛpa-śreṣṭha (प्रातिपदिक; नृप + श्रेष्ठ)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, संबोधन (8th/Vocative), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समास (नृपाणां श्रेष्ठः)

• kuru: do
• kuru: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kṛ (धातु; √कृ)
• Form: लोट्-लकार (Imperative), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd person), एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• yat: what/that which
• yat: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; सम्बन्धबोधक (relative pronoun)

• te: for you/of you
• te: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tvad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (6th/Genitive) एकवचन (enclitic)

• kṣamam: proper/appropriate
• kṣamam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kṣama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd Nom/Acc), एकवचन; विशेषण

• bhavet: may be
• bhavet: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: bhū (धातु; √भू)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन, परस्मैपद

Speaker

The personified Diseases (Vyādhayaḥ)

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: nṛpaśreṣṭha (king)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A grave pronouncement: the speaker declares a Brahmin’s curse lies upon the two diseases; the king is urged to act rightly at this very place.

Characters & Entities

• brahmaśāpa (Brahmin’s curse)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

It underscores the gravity of brahma-śāpa and the limits of worldly power, urging right action within one’s rightful capacity.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No tīrtha is named explicitly in this verse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No specific rite is described; the instruction is to act in a fitting way given the presence of brahma-śāpa.