Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 4

Devanagari script

आत्मीयं हेम चादाय न ते शुद्धिर्भविष्यति

Transliteration

ātmīyaṃ hema cādāya na te śuddhirbhaviṣyati

Translation

„Selbst wenn du dein eigenes Gold zurücknimmst, wird dir keine Reinheit zuteil.“

Word by Word

• आत्मीयम्: one’s own, belonging to oneself
• आत्मीयम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: आत्मीय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (1st/2nd case), एकवचन; विशेषण (Neuter, Nom/Acc, Singular; adjective)

• हेम: gold
• हेम: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हेमन्/हेम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (1st/2nd case), एकवचन (Neuter, Nom/Acc, Singular)

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

• आदाय: having taken
• आदाय: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial participle/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ-दा (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund), पूर्वकालिक क्रिया; उपसर्ग: आ- (having taken)

• न: not
• न: Pratiṣedha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक-अव्यय (negation particle)

• ते: of you/your
• ते: Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-विभक्ति (6th case, Genitive), एकवचन; सर्वनाम (pronoun)

• शुद्धिः: purification, purity
• शुद्धिः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शुद्धि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st case, Nominative), एकवचन (Feminine, Nom, Singular)

• भविष्यति: will be, will occur
• भविष्यति: Kriyā (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: लृट्-लकार (Simple Future), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular)

Speaker

Brāhmaṇas (as reported by Sūta)

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Śaunaka and the Naimiṣāraṇya sages (standard Sūta frame, implied)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A moral tableau: a donor hesitates, reaching back toward a golden offering placed before a sacred seat/altar, while elders gesture restraint, indicating that purity is not regained by reclaiming the gift.

Characters & Entities

• Brāhmaṇas (Dvijas)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

True śuddhi is ethical and spiritual; it is not achieved merely by correcting external transactions like taking back gold.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse is part of the Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra Māhātmya narrative but focuses on the doctrine of purity rather than a site-feature.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit rite is stated; it implies that purification requires more than material restitution.