Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 50

Devanagari script

जना ऊचुः । बहवस्तेन पापेन विप्राः पूर्वं विडंबिताः । राजप्रसादयुक्तेन चेर्ष्यां प्राप्य शरीरिणा

Transliteration

janā ūcuḥ | bahavastena pāpena viprāḥ pūrvaṃ viḍaṃbitāḥ | rājaprasādayuktena cerṣyāṃ prāpya śarīriṇā

Translation

Die Leute sprachen: „Durch jenen sündigen Mann wurden früher viele Brāhmaṇas verspottet und erniedrigt; er, gestützt auf königliche Gunst und von Neid getrieben, solange er im Menschenleib weilt.“

Word by Word

• janāḥ: people
• janāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: jana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन

• ūcuḥ: said
• ūcuḥ: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन

• bahavaḥ: many
• bahavaḥ: Visheshana (Adjectival qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: bahu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; विशेषण (viprāḥ इति)

• tena: by that
• tena: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• pāpena: by sin
• pāpena: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pāpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन

• viprāḥ: Brahmins
• viprāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vipra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन

• pūrvam: formerly, earlier
• pūrvam: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: pūrva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (temporal adverb)

• viḍambitāḥ: were mocked/insulted
• viḍambitāḥ: Kriya (Predicate/क्रियापद-भाव)
• Type: Verb
• Root: viḍambita (कृदन्त; vi-ḍamb/viḍamb (धातु) + क्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle, क्त), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; कर्मणि प्रयोगे विधेय (predicate)

• rāja-prasāda-yuktena: by/with one endowed with royal favor
• rāja-prasāda-yuktena: Visheshana (Adjectival qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: rāja (प्रातिपदिक) + prasāda (प्रातिपदिक) + yukta (कृदन्त; yuj (धातु) + क्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन; समासः (तत्पुरुष) ‘राजप्रसादेन युक्त’ इति; विशेषण (śarīriṇā इति)

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

• īrṣyām: envy
• īrṣyām: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: īrṣyā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• prāpya: having attained/obtained
• prāpya: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action/पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra-āp (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund), अव्ययभाव; पूर्वक्रिया (having attained)

• śarīriṇā: by a person (embodied one)
• śarīriṇā: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śarīrin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन

Speaker

Janāḥ (the people)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra (contextual frame)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A public space where brāhmaṇas are mocked by a jealous, royally-backed man; townspeople whisper, fearful to confront him; the insult hangs heavy in the air.

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Power backed by royal patronage can enable adharma; envy and arrogance lead to repeated wrongdoing and karmic downfall.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The account belongs to the Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra / Puṣpāditya Māhātmya portion of Nāgarakhaṇḍa’s Tīrthamāhātmya.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None directly; the verse provides narrative context about prior offenses.