Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 21

Devanagari script

अर्थकार्याधिकारोऽस्यास्तेन धर्मार्धधारिणी । स्वंस्वं कृतं सदैव स्यात्तयोः कर्म शुभाशुभम्

Transliteration

arthakāryādhikāro'syāstena dharmārdhadhāriṇī | svaṃsvaṃ kṛtaṃ sadaiva syāttayoḥ karma śubhāśubham

Translation

Sie hat Befugnis in Fragen des Besitzes und der praktischen Angelegenheiten; darum trägt sie die Hälfte des Dharma. Doch was jeder tut, bleibt stets sein Eigenes: die Taten eines jeden, heilsam oder unheilsam, fallen auf ihn selbst zurück.

Word by Word

• अर्थकार्याधिकारः: authority over wealth and duties
• अर्थकार्याधिकारः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अर्थ-कार्य-अधिकार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st/Nominative); एकवचन — ‘authority over wealth and duties’; समासः अर्थ+कार्य (द्वन्द्व) + अधिकार (तत्पुरुष)

• अस्याः: of her
• अस्याः: Sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठी-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; षष्ठी (6th/Genitive); एकवचन — ‘of her’

• तेन: therefore, by that
• तेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसकलिङ्ग; तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental); एकवचन — ‘therefore/by that’

• धर्मार्धधारिणी: (she is) the bearer of half of dharma
• धर्मार्धधारिणी: Karta (Predicate nominative/कर्ता-समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धर्म-अर्ध-धारिणी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st/Nominative); एकवचन — ‘bearer of half of dharma’; समासः धर्म+अर्ध (तत्पुरुष) + धारिणी (तत्पुरुष)

• स्वम्: one’s own
• स्वम्: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative); एकवचन — ‘one’s own’ (used adverbially with repetition)

• स्वम्: each one’s own
• स्वम्: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative); एकवचन — पुनरुक्ति (repetition) for distributive sense

• कृतम्: the deed done
• कृतम्: Karta (Subject complement/भाव)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कृ (धातु) → कृत (कृदन्त; क्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd); एकवचन — क्त-प्रत्ययान्त: ‘done (deed)’

• सदैव: always
• सदैव: Adhikarana (Temporal/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सदा+एव (अव्यय-समुच्चय)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक+निश्चयार्थक (adverb: ‘always indeed’)

• स्यात्: should be
• स्यात्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative); प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person); एकवचन — ‘should be’

• तयोः: of the two
• तयोः: Sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठी-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/स्त्री/नपुंसक; षष्ठी (6th/Genitive); द्विवचन — ‘of the two’

• कर्म: karma (result of action)
• कर्म: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कर्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st/Nominative); एकवचन — ‘karma, action/result’

• शुभाशुभम्: good and bad
• शुभाशुभम्: Karta (Subject qualifier/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शुभ-अशुभ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd); एकवचन — द्वन्द्वसमास: ‘good and bad’ (qualifying कर्म)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Nāgarakhaṇḍa Tīrthamāhātmya narrative voice)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A household scene split into two registers: shared management of wealth/ritual (couple together) and a subtle aura around each individual indicating separate karmic ‘ledger’—one bright (śubha), one shadowed (aśubha) to show personal ownership.

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Marriage shares responsibility in dharma, but karmic accountability for good and bad deeds remains individually one’s own.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No particular tīrtha is named in this verse; it appears as normative teaching within a Tīrthamāhātmya chapter.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; the verse defines authority, dharmic partnership, and the principle of individual karma.