Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 14

Devanagari script

यस्यां यस्यामवस्थायां क्रियतेऽत्र शुभाशुभम् । तस्यां तस्यां ध्रुवं तस्य फलं तद्भुज्यते नरैः

Transliteration

yasyāṃ yasyāmavasthāyāṃ kriyate'tra śubhāśubham | tasyāṃ tasyāṃ dhruvaṃ tasya phalaṃ tadbhujyate naraiḥ

Translation

In welcher Lebenslage hier Gutes oder Böses getan wird, in eben dieser Lage wird sein Ergebnis von den Menschen gewiss erfahren.

Word by Word

• yasyām: in which
• yasyām: Adhikaraṇa (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/अधिकरण), एकवचन; सम्बन्धक (relative: “in which”)

• yasyām: in whichever
• yasyām: Adhikaraṇa (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/अधिकरण), एकवचन; पुनरुक्ति-प्रयोग

• avasthāyām: state/condition
• avasthāyām: Adhikaraṇa (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: avasthā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/अधिकरण), एकवचन

• kriyate: is done
• kriyate: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kṛ (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; आत्मनेपद; कर्मणि-प्रयोग (passive: “is done”)

• atra: here
• atra: Adhikaraṇa (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atra (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (locative adverb: “here/in this context”)

• śubha-aśubham: good and bad (deed/result)
• śubha-aśubham: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śubha (प्रातिपदिक) + aśubha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: द्वन्द्व-समास (itaretara), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; शुभं च अशुभं च

• tasyām: in that
• tasyām: Adhikaraṇa (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/अधिकरण), एकवचन; तद्-सम्बन्ध (correlative: “in that”)

• tasyām: in that very (same)
• tasyām: Adhikaraṇa (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/अधिकरण), एकवचन; पुनरुक्ति-प्रयोग

• dhruvam: certainly
• dhruvam: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: dhruva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव/क्रियाविशेषणवत् प्रयोग (adverbial accusative/neuter: “certainly”)

• tasya: of him/of that
• tasya: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/सम्बन्ध), एकवचन

• phalam: the fruit/result
• phalam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: phala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; कर्मणि-वाक्ये कर्तृस्थानी (subject of passive)

• tad: that
• tad: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; भुज्यते-क्रियायाः कर्म-विशेषण (that very)

• bhujyate: is experienced/enjoyed
• bhujyate: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: bhuj (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; आत्मनेपद; कर्मणि-प्रयोग (passive: “is experienced/enjoyed”)

• naraiḥ: by men/people
• naraiḥ: Karta (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/करण), बहुवचन; कर्मणि-वाक्ये कर्तृ (agent in passive)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Nāgarakhaṇḍa Tīrthamāhātmya narration style)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A narrative tableau showing the same person in different life-states (youth, householder, ascetic) with corresponding outcomes, illustrating that fruits are tasted in the matching condition.

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Karma is context-sensitive: deeds done in a given life-situation ripen for the doer in corresponding circumstances.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No single site is named in this verse; it supports the broader tīrtha discourse by grounding it in moral causality.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly; the verse frames ethical responsibility as the foundation for meaningful pilgrimage.