Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 83

Devanagari script

तं श्रुत्वा निहतं तेन चंडालं निजकिंकरम् । देवशर्मातिकोपेन तद्वधार्थमुपागतः

Transliteration

taṃ śrutvā nihataṃ tena caṃḍālaṃ nijakiṃkaram | devaśarmātikopena tadvadhārthamupāgataḥ

Translation

Als er hörte, dass sein eigener Diener, ein Caṇḍāla, von ihm erschlagen worden war, kam Devaśarmā, von grimmigem Zorn überwältigt, dorthin, um ihn zu töten.

Word by Word

• तम्: him
• तम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन (singular)

• श्रुत्वा: having heard
• श्रुत्वा: Kriya (पूर्वक्रिया/पूर्वकालिक-क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: श्रु (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund); अव्ययभावः (having heard)

• निहतम्: killed/slain
• निहतम्: Karma (Object-qualifier/कर्मविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: नि-हन् (धातु) → निहत (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त/PPP); पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; विशेषणम्

• तेन: by him/with him
• तेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग; तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), एकवचन (singular)

• चण्डालम्: the caṇḍāla (outcaste)
• चण्डालम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चण्डाल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन (singular)

• निजकिंकरम्: his own servant
• निजकिंकरम्: Karma (Object-apposition/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: निज (प्रातिपदिक) + किंकर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय-समासः (निजः किंकरः); पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• देवशर्मा: Devaśarman
• देवशर्मा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देवशर्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन (singular)

• अतिकोपेन: with great anger
• अतिकोपेन: Karana (Instrument/Cause/हेतु-करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अति + कोप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समासः (अति-कोप); पुंलिङ्ग; तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), एकवचन

• तद्वधार्थम्: for his killing
• तद्वधार्थम्: Prayojana (Purpose/प्रयोजन)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तद् + वध + अर्थ (प्रातिपदिकानि)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समासः (तस्य वधस्य अर्थः); द्वितीया-एकवचन-रूपेण अव्ययवत् प्रयुक्तम् (for the purpose of killing him)

• उपागतः: arrived/came
• उपागतः: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: उप-गम् (धातु) → उपागत (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त/PPP) परस्मैपद-भावे; पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; (he) came/arrived

Speaker

Narrator (Purāṇic narrative voice)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: brāhmaṇas (dvijāḥ)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Devaśarmā, furious, strides forward with relatives gathering behind, intent on killing the offender; tension thickens in a sacred setting.

Characters & Entities

• Devaśarmā
• caṇḍāla
• kiṅkara

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Retaliatory anger, even when sparked by loss, can pull one deeper into adharma; Purāṇic narratives often pivot here toward recognition of higher truth.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse is part of a tīrtha-māhātmya chapter, but the location is not explicitly stated in this excerpt.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None.