Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 39

Devanagari script

दुःशील उवाच । नैतद्युक्तं नरश्रेष्ठ तव कर्तुं कथंचन । ब्राह्मणानां कृते कर्म ब्राह्मणस्य विशेषतः

Transliteration

duḥśīla uvāca | naitadyuktaṃ naraśreṣṭha tava kartuṃ kathaṃcana | brāhmaṇānāṃ kṛte karma brāhmaṇasya viśeṣataḥ

Translation

Duḥśīla sprach: 'Es ziemt sich für dich in keiner Weise, dies zu tun, o Bester der Menschen – eine Tat wegen der Brāhmaṇas, die besonders einen Brāhmaṇa betrifft.'

Word by Word

• दुःशीलः: Duḥśīla (name)
• दुःशीलः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दुःशील (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/कर्ता), एकवचन; वक्तृ-नाम

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (परोक्षभूत/Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• न: not
• न: Pratishedha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-निपात (negation particle)

• एतत्: this
• एतत्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st) एकवचन; ‘this’ as subject with ‘युक्तम्’

• युक्तम्: proper, appropriate
• युक्तम्: Pradhana-visheshana (Predicate/विधेय)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: युज् (धातु) → युक्त (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st) एकवचन; predicate adjective

• नरश्रेष्ठ: O best of men
• नरश्रेष्ठ: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर (प्रातिपदिक) + श्रेष्ठ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुषसमास (नराणां श्रेष्ठः); पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th/सम्बोधन), एकवचन

• तव: of you, your
• तव: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (6th/सम्बन्ध), एकवचन; pronoun

• कर्तुम्: to do
• कर्तुम्: Prayojana (Purpose/प्रयोजन)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु) → कर्तुम् (तुमुन्)
• Form: तुमुनन्त (infinitive); क्रियार्थक-भावः ‘to do’

• कथंचन: in any way
• कथंचन: Prakara (Manner/प्रकार)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: कथंचन (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb: ‘in any way/at all’)

• ब्राह्मणानाम्: of Brahmins
• ब्राह्मणानाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्राह्मण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/सम्बन्ध), बहुवचन

• कृते: for the sake of
• कृते: Prayojana (Purpose/प्रयोजन)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: कृत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कृते-प्रयोगः (postposition-like indeclinable) = ‘for the sake of’; governs genitive

• कर्म: act, deed
• कर्म: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कर्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया एकवचन; here as object/thing to be done

• ब्राह्मणस्य: of a Brahmin
• ब्राह्मणस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्राह्मण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/सम्बन्ध), एकवचन

• विशेषतः: especially
• विशेषतः: Prakara (Manner/प्रकार)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: विशेषतः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb: ‘especially, particularly’)

Speaker

Duḥśīla

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Duḥśīla steps forward as a calm advisor, hands in respectful gesture, stopping a powerful man from a rash act by invoking brāhmaṇa-dharma.

Characters & Entities

• Duḥśīla
• Durvāsā (implied addressee)
• brāhmaṇas

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Even amid conflict, dharma calls for propriety and restraint—especially concerning brāhmaṇas, whose status is treated as ritually and morally weighty in Purāṇic thought.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific tīrtha is named in this verse; it continues the moral dialogue within the chapter’s tīrthamāhātmya setting.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it is ethical counsel rather than a rite.