Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 7

Devanagari script

आदाय सलिलं हस्ते शुचिर्भूत्वासमाहितः । प्रददौ दारुणं शापं धर्मराजाय दुःखितः

Transliteration

ādāya salilaṃ haste śucirbhūtvāsamāhitaḥ | pradadau dāruṇaṃ śāpaṃ dharmarājāya duḥkhitaḥ

Translation

Er nahm Wasser in die Hand, reinigte sich, doch sein Geist blieb unruhig; vom Kummer gezeichnet sprach er einen schrecklichen Fluch über Dharmarāja aus.

Word by Word

• आदाय: having taken
• आदाय: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ-दा (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (gerund), ‘having taken’

• सलिलम्: water
• सलिलम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सलिल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• हस्ते: in (his) hand
• हस्ते: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हस्त (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन

• शुचिः: pure
• शुचिः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शुचि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; विशेषण (pure)

• भूत्वा: having become
• भूत्वा: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (gerund), ‘having become’

• असमाहितः: agitated, not composed
• असमाहितः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अ-सम्-आ-धा (धातु) + क्त (प्रत्यय)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (PPP used adjectivally), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; नञ्-पूर्वक (not composed/uncollected)

• प्रददौ: he gave/uttered
• प्रददौ: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र-दा (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद; प्रददौ = gave/uttered

• दारुणम्: terrible
• दारुणम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दारुण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; ‘शापम्’ इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

• शापम्: curse
• शापम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शाप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• धर्मराजाय: to Dharmarāja
• धर्मराजाय: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धर्मराज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (4th), एकवचन

• दुःखितः: grieved
• दुःखितः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दुःखित (प्रातिपदिक; कृदन्त-निष्पन्न)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; भाववाचक-विशेषण (sorrowful)

Speaker

Sūta

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The brāhmaṇa lifts his right hand with water cupped in the palm, eyes wet with grief yet blazing; the court of Yama watches as the curse is about to be uttered.

Characters & Entities

• Dharmarāja (Yama)
• brāhmaṇa Upādhyāya (implied)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Even ritual purity can be overshadowed by mental agitation; dharma requires both outer and inner composure.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Dharmarājeśvara-tīrtha narrative is being established through an origin-story involving Dharmarāja and a brāhmaṇa’s curse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A ritual gesture is referenced: taking water in the hand (salila in haste), commonly used in formal declarations such as vows or curses.