Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 49

Devanagari script

अकृत्यं मन्यते कृत्यं मित्रं शत्रुं च मन्यते । शत्रुं च मन्यते मित्रं जनः कामवशं गतः

Transliteration

akṛtyaṃ manyate kṛtyaṃ mitraṃ śatruṃ ca manyate | śatruṃ ca manyate mitraṃ janaḥ kāmavaśaṃ gataḥ

Translation

Wer unter die Herrschaft des Begehrens gerät, hält das Unziemliche für das Ziembare; er nimmt den Freund für einen Feind und den Feind für einen Freund.

Word by Word

• akṛtyam: what should not be done
• akṛtyam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: a-kṛtya (प्रातिपदिक; √kṛ (कृ) + तव्यत्/यत्-भाव)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• manyate: thinks/considers
• manyate: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: man (मन् धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (वर्तमान), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• kṛtyam: as (something) to be done
• kṛtyam: Karma (Object complement/कर्मसमाना)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kṛtya (प्रातिपदिक; √kṛ (कृ) + तव्यत्/यत्-भाव)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• mitram: a friend
• mitram: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mitra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• śatrum: (as) an enemy
• śatrum: Karma (Object complement/कर्मसमाना)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śatru (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

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

• manyate: considers
• manyate: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: man (मन् धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार, आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• śatrum: an enemy
• śatrum: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śatru (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

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

• manyate: considers
• manyate: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: man (मन् धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार, आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• mitram: (as) a friend
• mitram: Karma (Object complement/कर्मसमाना)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mitra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• janaḥ: a person
• janaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: jana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• kāmavaśam: the control of desire
• kāmavaśam: Karma (Goal/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kāma-vaśa (कामा + वश प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष समास (‘कामस्य वशः’); पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; गत्यर्थक क्रियायाः कर्म/गति-लक्ष्य

• gataḥ: gone (having fallen into)
• gataḥ: Karta (Subject qualifier/कर्तृविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: gam (गम् धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त (क्त-प्रत्ययान्त/PPP), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; janaḥ इति कर्तरि विशेषण

Speaker

Unspecified (contextual speaker within Nāgara-khaṇḍa Tīrtha-māhātmya dialogue)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: An allegorical depiction of desire as a force that flips signposts: a traveler at a tīrtha crossroads reads reversed markers ‘kṛtya/akṛtya’, while two figures labeled friend/enemy are mistaken for each other.

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Unchecked desire distorts perception, reversing moral categories and even confusing true allies and harmful influences.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

This verse is an ethical maxim within the larger tīrtha-narrative context; the location is not stated here.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No ritual is specified; the focus is on correcting inner delusion through dharmic discernment.