Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 2

Devanagari script

सांप्रतं वद कामस्य यथा कुष्ठोऽभवत्पुरा । येन दोषेण शापश्च केन तस्य नियोजितः

Transliteration

sāṃprataṃ vada kāmasya yathā kuṣṭho'bhavatpurā | yena doṣeṇa śāpaśca kena tasya niyojitaḥ

Translation

Nun sprich über Kāma: wie er einst von Aussatz befallen wurde—durch welches Vergehen, und von wem wurde ihm jener Fluch auferlegt?

Word by Word

• साम्प्रतम्: now, at present
• साम्प्रतम्: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial modifier/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: साम्प्रत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (क्रियाविशेषण/adverb): ‘इदानीम्/अधुना’

• वद: speak, tell
• वद: Kriyā (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वद् (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (आज्ञार्थ/imperative), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd person), एकवचन (singular), परस्मैपद

• कामस्य: of Kāma (the god of desire)
• कामस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/genitive), एकवचन

• यथा: how, in what way
• यथा: Sambandha (Correlative/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (समुच्चय/उपमान/प्रकारवाचक): ‘येन प्रकारेण/as’

• कुष्ठः: leprosy (disease)
• कुष्ठः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कुष्ठ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/nominative), एकवचन

• अभवत्: became, arose
• अभवत्: Kriyā (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: लङ् (अनद्यतनभूत/imperfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• पुरा: formerly, earlier
• पुरा: Kālādhi karaṇa (Temporal adverbial/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुरा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (कालवाचक/adverb of time): ‘पूर्वम्/formerly’

• येन: by which, due to which
• येन: Karaṇa/Hetu (Instrument/Cause/करण-हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/instrumental), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• दोषेण: by (some) fault, due to a defect
• दोषेण: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दोष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/instrumental), एकवचन

• शापः: curse
• शापः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शाप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/nominative), एकवचन

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Connector/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (समुच्चयबोधक conjunction)

• केन: by whom? by what?
• केन: Karaṇa/Karta (Agent/Instrument query/कर्ता-करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/instrumental), एकवचन; प्रश्नवाचक सर्वनाम

• तस्य: of him/its
• तस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/genitive), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• नियोजितः: was imposed/appointed/assigned
• नियोजितः: Kriyā (Predicate as participle/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: नि+युज् (धातु) (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त (past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्मणि प्रयोगे ‘नियुक्तः/appointed’

Speaker

Ṛṣis (Sages)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Ṛṣis/śaunakādayaḥ (assembly of sages; implied)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A circle of sages requests Sūta to narrate the origin of Kāma’s leprosy—an anticipatory moment before the curse-story unfolds.

Characters & Entities

• Kāma (Manmatha)
• kuṣṭha (leprosy)
• śāpa (curse)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purāṇic dharma frames suffering as having moral and causal roots (doṣa/śāpa), inviting reflection, restraint, and remedial sacred practice.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse introduces a legend that typically culminates in the glorification of a specific kṣetra/tīrtha where affliction is relieved; the immediate site is within the Nāgarakhaṇḍa Tīrthamāhātmya stream.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None here; it is an inquiry preparing for the narrative of cause and remedy.