Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 6

Devanagari script

धिग्धिक्पापसमाचार होमार्थं यद्गुदं धृतम् । तत्त्वया दूषितं लौल्याद्यज्ञविघ्नकरं कृतम्

Transliteration

dhigdhikpāpasamācāra homārthaṃ yadgudaṃ dhṛtam | tattvayā dūṣitaṃ laulyādyajñavighnakaraṃ kṛtam

Translation

„Schande, Schande – O Täter sündhaften Verhaltens! Der für das Feueropfer aufbewahrte Rohrzucker wurde von dir aus Gier verunreinigt, und du hast ihn zu einem Hindernis für das Opfer gemacht.“

Word by Word

• dhik: shame!
• dhik: Sambodhana/Exclamation (उद्गार)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: dhik (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, निन्दार्थक निपात (interjection of censure)

• dhik: shame!
• dhik: Sambodhana/Exclamation (उद्गार)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: dhik (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, निन्दार्थक निपात (repetition for emphasis)

• pāpa-samācāra: O one of sinful conduct
• pāpa-samācāra: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन/Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pāpa (प्रातिपदिक) + samācāra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय (पापः समाचारः यस्य/पापसमाचारः), पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th/Vocative), एकवचन

• homa-artham: for the homa-rite
• homa-artham: Prayojana (प्रयोजन/Purpose)
• Type: Noun
• Root: homa (प्रातिपदिक) + artha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: चतुर्थी-तत्पुरुष/उद्देश्यवाचक (होमस्य अर्थः), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘for the purpose of homa’

• yat: which
• yat: Karma-sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक (relative pronoun: ‘which’)

• gudaṃ: the rectum/anus
• gudaṃ: Karma (कर्म; ‘that which was taken’)
• Type: Noun
• Root: guda (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; (यद्-सम्बद्ध)

• dhṛtam: taken/held
• dhṛtam: Karma-samānādhikaraṇa (कर्मविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dhṛ (धातु) + dhṛta (कृदन्त/क्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त, नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘taken/held’

• tat: that
• tat: Sambandha/Emphasis (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘that’ (emphatic)

• tvayā: by you
• tvayā: Kartr̥ (कर्ता/Agent in passive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tvam (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन; ‘by you’

• dūṣitam: defiled
• dūṣitam: Karma-samānādhikaraṇa (कर्मविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dūṣ (धातु) + dūṣita (कृदन्त/क्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त, नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘defiled’

• laulyāt: out of greed
• laulyāt: Hetu (हेतु/Cause)
• Type: Noun
• Root: laulya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/Ablative), एकवचन; हेत्वर्थ (cause): ‘from greed’

• yajña-vighna-karam: causing hindrance to the sacrifice
• yajña-vighna-karam: Karma-samānādhikaraṇa (कर्मविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: yajña (प्रातिपदिक) + vighna (प्रातिपदिक) + kara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (यज्ञस्य विघ्नः; तं करोति इति), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘causing obstruction to sacrifice’

• kṛtam: made
• kṛtam: Karma-samānādhikaraṇa (कर्मविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kṛ (धातु) + kṛta (कृदन्त/क्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त, नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘made/done’

Speaker

prasthātā (officiating priest)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The priest points toward the defiled offering set aside for homa, condemning the youth’s greed; ritual vessels, ladles, and the fire altar stand as silent witnesses to the breach.

Characters & Entities

• homa
• yajña
• guda (jaggery)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Greed corrupts sacred duty; even small acts of impurity can disrupt dharmic worship and its intended merit.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No named tīrtha appears in this verse; it supports the broader tīrtha-māhātmya narrative by stressing correct ritual conduct.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Offerings reserved for homa must remain uncontaminated; defiling them is treated as a serious ritual fault (yajña-vighna).