Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 62

Devanagari script

किंवा ते बहुनोक्तेन यद्यत्कर्म विगर्हितम् । क्लेशदं च तदस्माकं स्वयमेवोपतिष्ठते

Transliteration

kiṃvā te bahunoktena yadyatkarma vigarhitam | kleśadaṃ ca tadasmākaṃ svayamevopatiṣṭhate

Translation

Doch wozu vieles sagen? Welche Tat auch immer tadelnswert ist und Leid bringt—gerade sie tritt von selbst zu uns heran.

Word by Word

• किम्: what (use?)
• किम्: Sambandha (Discourse/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: प्रश्नार्थक-अव्यय (particle)

• वा: or; rather
• वा: Sambandha (Discourse/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वा (अव्यय)
• Form: विकल्पार्थक-अव्यय (conjunction/particle)

• ते: to you; for you
• ते: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्वद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (6th) / चतुर्थी (4th) एकवचन रूप; अत्र संबोधन-संबन्धे ‘ते’ = ‘to you/for you’ (दत्तिव)

• बहुना: with much (talk)
• बहुना: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: बहु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), एकवचन; ‘बहु’ = much; करणभावे

• उक्तेन: by what is said; by speech
• उक्तेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: उक्त (प्रातिपदिक/कृदन्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त ‘said speech’

• यत्: whatever
• यत्: Sambandha (Relative/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सम्बन्धबोधक (relative) — ‘whatever’ (पूर्वपद in यद्यत्कर्म)

• यत्: whatever
• यत्: Sambandha (Relative/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुनरुक्त-सम्बन्धबोधक — ‘whatever (each and every)’

• कर्म: deed; action
• कर्म: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कर्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st)/द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; अत्र प्रथमा—विषय/कर्तृसमानाधिकरण

• विगर्हितम्: blameworthy; censured
• विगर्हितम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वि + √गर्ह् (धातु) → विगर्हित (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; विशेषण (कर्म)

• क्लेशदम्: giving suffering
• क्लेशदम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: क्लेश + द (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समास (क्लेशं ददाति) विशेषण

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

• तत्: that
• तत्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; अन्वय-निर्देशक सर्वनाम

• अस्माकम्: of us
• अस्माकम्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (6th), बहुवचन; सम्बन्ध

• स्वयम्: by itself
• स्वयम्: Sambandha (Adverbial/सम्बन्ध-क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: स्वयम् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (क्रियाविशेषण) — ‘by itself’

• एव: indeed; just
• एव: Sambandha (Emphasis/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारण-अव्यय (emphatic particle)

• उपतिष्ठते: approaches; presents itself
• उपतिष्ठते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: उप + √स्था (धातु)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

Speaker

Preta(s) (departed spirits) addressing the king

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: King

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A traveler speaks to a king with folded hands, expressing sober realization that censurable deeds bring suffering automatically; the background shows a road with signs of hardship.

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Blameworthy karma naturally ripens into suffering; dharma and rites are portrayed as remedies that counter such distress.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No single tīrtha is named in this verse; it functions as ethical framing within the broader tīrtha-māhātmya discourse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly; the verse underscores karmic causality that later motivates śrāddha/charitable acts.