Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 27

Devanagari script

कथयामास वृत्तांतं सर्वं शापसमुद्भवम् । दूरे स्थितः स पुत्राणां वसिष्ठस्य महात्मनः

Transliteration

kathayāmāsa vṛttāṃtaṃ sarvaṃ śāpasamudbhavam | dūre sthitaḥ sa putrāṇāṃ vasiṣṭhasya mahātmanaḥ

Translation

Daraufhin schilderte er den ganzen Verlauf, alles, was aus dem Fluch hervorgegangen war, während er sich fernhielt von den Söhnen des großherzigen Vasiṣṭha.

Word by Word

• kathayāmāsa: he narrated/told
• kathayāmāsa: Kriyā (Main verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √kath (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect/परोक्षभूत), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन, परस्मैपदी; 'he told'

• vṛttāntam: account, incident
• vṛttāntam: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vṛttānta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; कर्म

• sarvam: entire, all
• sarvam: Karma (Qualifier of object)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषण of 'vṛttāntam'

• śāpasamudbhavam: arisen from a curse
• śāpasamudbhavam: Karma (Qualifier of object)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śāpa + samudbhava (प्रातिपदिक; sam-ud-√bhū)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; (शापात् समुद्भवम् = arisen from a curse) विशेषण of 'vṛttāntam'

• dūre: far away
• dūre: Deśa-adhikaraṇa (Spatial adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: dūra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (क्रियाविशेषण/adverb): 'far away'

• sthitaḥ: standing, situated
• sthitaḥ: Karta (Predicate describing subject)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sthita (प्रातिपदिक; √sthā → क्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विधेय-विशेषण (predicate adjective)

• saḥ: he
• saḥ: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• putrāṇām: of the sons
• putrāṇām: Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: putra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), बहुवचन; सम्बन्ध (genitive)

• vasiṣṭhasya: of Vasiṣṭha
• vasiṣṭhasya: Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vasiṣṭha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, एकवचन; सम्बन्ध

• mahātmanaḥ: of the great-souled (sage)
• mahātmanaḥ: Sambandha (Qualifier in genitive)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mahātman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, एकवचन; (महान् आत्मा यस्य) विशेषण of 'vasiṣṭhasya'

Speaker

Narrator (Purāṇic narrator voice)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The king, standing apart, narrates the curse-born events to his son and ministers; in the background, stern brahmin youths (Vasiṣṭha’s sons) are visible, prompting his cautious distance.

Characters & Entities

• Vasiṣṭha
• Sons of Vasiṣṭha (Vāsiṣṭhas)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

A sage’s curse is treated as spiritually potent; humility and restraint are shown by keeping distance and narrating truthfully.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Not specified in this verse; it provides the curse-background within the tīrtha-māhātmya chapter.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None.