Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 14

Devanagari script

अर्थसंपद्विमोहाय विमोहो नरकाय च । तस्मादर्थमनर्थं तं मोक्षार्थी दूरतस्त्यजेत्

Transliteration

arthasaṃpadvimohāya vimoho narakāya ca | tasmādarthamanarthaṃ taṃ mokṣārthī dūratastyajet

Translation

Reichtum und Wohlstand führen zur Verblendung, und Verblendung führt zur Hölle. Darum soll der nach Mokṣa Strebende jenes „Vermögen“, das in Wahrheit Unheil ist, von ferne meiden.

Word by Word

• अर्थसंपत्: wealth/prosperity
• अर्थसंपत्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अर्थ (प्रातिपदिक) + संपत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन (nominative singular); षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (‘अर्थस्य संपत्’)

• विमोहाय: for delusion
• विमोहाय: Sampradāna (Purpose/recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विमोह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी-विभक्ति, एकवचन (dative singular)

• विमोहः: delusion
• विमोहः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विमोह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन (nominative singular)

• नरकाय: for hell
• नरकाय: Sampradāna (Purpose/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नरक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी-विभक्ति, एकवचन (dative singular)

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

• तस्मात्: therefore
• तस्मात्: Hetu (Reason marker/हेतु)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययप्रयोग (हेतौ/तस्मात् = therefore); मूलतः पञ्चमी-एकवचन रूपम्, निपातवत्

• अर्थं: wealth
• अर्थं: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (accusative singular)

• अनर्थं: harmful; misfortune
• अनर्थं: Karma (Object complement/कर्म-विशेषण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अनर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (accusative singular); विशेषणवत् (as predicate/object complement)

• तं: that
• तं: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (accusative singular), सर्वनाम

• मोक्षार्थी: one who seeks liberation
• मोक्षार्थी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मोक्ष (प्रातिपदिक) + अर्थिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन (nominative singular); उपपद-तत्पुरुषः (‘मोक्षम् अर्थयते/इच्छति’)

• दूरतः: from far away; completely
• दूरतः: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Manner/degree)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: दूरतः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (क्रियाविशेषण; ‘from afar/at a distance’)

• त्यजेत्: should abandon
• त्यजेत्: Kriyā (Injunctive/should)
• Type: Verb
• Root: त्यज् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन (3rd sg); परस्मैपद

Speaker

An unnamed renunciate/narrator within the Tīrthamāhātmya (didactic discourse)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Teacher-figure pointing away from a pile of coins/jewels that morph into chains or a dark pit (naraka) in symbolic imagery; a seeker turns away toward a path of light.

Characters & Entities

• naraka

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Unchecked pursuit of wealth breeds delusion; liberation requires deliberate distance from attachment to artha.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

This is a general dharma-upadeśa embedded within a Tīrthamāhātmya chapter; it does not name a particular site in this verse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No ritual is prescribed; the ‘practice’ is tyāga—renouncing attachment to wealth for mokṣa.