Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 39

Devanagari script

कच्चिन्मंदिरपृष्ठे त्वं न धत्से भिन्नभाजनम् । उच्छिष्टं वा जनैस्त्यक्तमपि कार्योपकारकम्

Transliteration

kaccinmaṃdirapṛṣṭhe tvaṃ na dhatse bhinnabhājanam | ucchiṣṭaṃ vā janaistyaktamapi kāryopakārakam

Translation

Meidest du es, hinter dem Tempel zerbrochene Gefäße oder von Menschen weggeworfene Speisereste aufzubewahren, auch wenn sie für irgendeine Arbeit nützlich scheinen mögen?

Word by Word

• कच्चित्: is it the case that…? (I hope)
• कच्चित्: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: कच्चित् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (प्रश्नार्थक निपात/interrogative particle)

• मन्दिर-पृष्ठे: on/at the back of the house/temple
• मन्दिर-पृष्ठे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मन्दिर (प्रातिपदिक) + पृष्ठ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी विभक्ति, एकवचन (locative singular); समासः षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (मन्दिरस्य पृष्ठे)

• त्वम्: you
• त्वम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तमपुरुष-सर्वनाम, प्रथमा विभक्ति, एकवचन (pronoun, nominative singular)

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

• धत्से: you place, you keep
• धत्से: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √धा (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (वर्तमान/present), मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद (2nd person singular)

• भिन्न-भाजनम्: a broken vessel
• भिन्न-भाजनम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भिन्न (प्रातिपदिक; √भिद् (धातु) से कृदन्त, भूतकृदन्त/PPP) + भाजन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया विभक्ति, एकवचन (neuter accusative singular); समासः कर्मधारयः (भिन्नं भाजनम्)

• उच्छिष्टम्: leftover food, leavings
• उच्छिष्टम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: उच्छिष्ट (प्रातिपदिक; √शिष्/√शेष् (धातु) से कृदन्त; अर्थः ‘अवशिष्ट/भुक्तशेष’)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया विभक्ति, एकवचन (neuter nominative/accusative singular)

• वा: or
• वा: Sambandha (Disjunction/विकल्प)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (विकल्प/alternative particle)

• जनैः: by people
• जनैः: Karana (Agentive instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया विभक्ति, बहुवचन (instrumental plural)

• त्यक्तम्: discarded
• त्यक्तम्: Karma (Object qualifier/कर्म-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: त्यक्त (प्रातिपदिक; √त्यज् (धातु) से कृदन्त, भूतकृदन्त/PPP)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया विभक्ति, एकवचन (neuter nominative/accusative singular); विशेषण (qualifying ucchiṣṭam)

• अपि: even, also
• अपि: Sambandha (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (समुच्चय/अवधारण/particle: ‘even/also’)

• कार्य-उपकारकम्: useful for some purpose
• कार्य-उपकारकम्: Karma (Object complement/कर्म-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कार्य (प्रातिपदिक) + उपकारक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया विभक्ति, एकवचन (neuter nominative/accusative singular); समासः तत्पुरुषः (कार्यस्य उपकारकः)

Speaker

Unspecified (Nāgarakhaṇḍa Tīrthamāhātmya didactic voice)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Behind a grand temple, attendants clean the area; a woman is cautioned not to keep broken pots or leftover food there. The scene contrasts a clean, lamp-lit sanctum side with a service alley being purified.

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred spaces require śauca (purity/cleanliness); convenience must not override reverence for the temple environment.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse speaks generally about temple precincts; no named tīrtha is specified.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A purity rule: do not store broken utensils or leftovers behind/near the temple, even if they seem practically useful.