Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 26

Devanagari script

स्वंस्वं कर्म प्रकुरुतः सत्कर्म जं स्वकं फलम् । तस्माद्वरिष्ठा हीना वा सत्कुल्या शूद्रसंभवैः

Transliteration

svaṃsvaṃ karma prakurutaḥ satkarma jaṃ svakaṃ phalam | tasmādvariṣṭhā hīnā vā satkulyā śūdrasaṃbhavaiḥ

Translation

Jeder vollbringt sein eigenes Tun, und die Frucht seiner guten Werke ist die eigene. Darum gilt: ob höher oder niedriger, eine Frau aus gutem Geschlecht ist vorzuziehen gegenüber denen, die aus Śūdra-Ursprung geboren sind.

Word by Word

• svaṃ-svam: each one’s own
• svaṃ-svam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; पुनरुक्ति (distributive)

• karma: duty/action
• karma: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: karman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• prakurutaḥ: you (pl.) perform
• prakurutaḥ: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra√kṛ (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), मध्यम-पुरुष (2nd person), बहुवचन; परस्मैपद; (वैदिक/पुराण-प्रयोगे ‘-taḥ’ रूपं ‘-tha’ इव)

• sat-karmam: good action
• sat-karmam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sat + karman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; समासः—सत् कर्म (‘good deed’)

• yat: which
• yat: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; सम्बन्धबोधक-यत्

• svakam: one’s own
• svakam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: svaka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; विशेषण

• phalam: fruit/result
• phalam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: phala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• tasmāt: therefore
• tasmāt: Hetu/Apadana (Cause/Source)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (5th/Ablative), एकवचन; हेत्वर्थे ‘therefore/from that’

• variṣṭhā: the best (woman)
• variṣṭhā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: variṣṭha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; अतिशय-तमा (superlative)

• hīnā: inferior
• hīnā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: hīna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• vā: or
• vā: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vā (अव्यय)
• Form: विकल्पार्थक-निपात (or)

• sat-kulyā: a woman of good family
• sat-kulyā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sat + kulya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; समासः—सत्कुल्या (‘of good family’)

• śūdra-saṃbhavaiḥ: than those born of śūdras
• śūdra-saṃbhavaiḥ: Karana/Upamana (Standard of comparison)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śūdra + saṃbhava (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन; समासः—शूद्रसम्भव (‘born from śūdra’); तृतीया—तुलना/अधिक्ये (in comparison/with respect to)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Nāgarakhaṇḍa Tīrthamāhātmya narrative voice)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A teacher-like sage at a pilgrimage rest-house explains karma doctrine to listeners; behind them, pilgrims perform simple acts—offering water, feeding, and prayer—showing ‘satkarma’ producing ‘svaka phala’.

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

It emphasizes personal responsibility for karma and its results, while also expressing a normative preference framed in lineage-based dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No tīrtha is explicitly named in this verse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it is primarily a doctrinal statement on karma and a social-ethical claim.