Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 14

Devanagari script

सूत उवाच । सापि श्रुत्वा जनोक्तांस्तानपवादान्पृथग्विधान् । वैराग्यं परमं गत्वा निंदां चक्रे तथात्मनः

Transliteration

sūta uvāca | sāpi śrutvā janoktāṃstānapavādānpṛthagvidhān | vairāgyaṃ paramaṃ gatvā niṃdāṃ cakre tathātmanaḥ

Translation

Sūta sprach: “Als sie diese verschiedenen Verleumdungen der Leute hörte, gelangte sie zu höchster Leidenschaftslosigkeit und begann, sich selbst Vorwürfe zu machen.”

Word by Word

• sūtaḥ: Sūta
• sūtaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sūta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriya (Predicate action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• sā: she
• sā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• api: also
• api: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (particle)

• śrutvā: having heard
• śrutvā: Kriya-viśeṣaṇa (Adverbial to main verb/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: śru (धातु) + tvā (क्त्वा)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्यय (absolutive/gerund): ‘having heard’

• jana-uktān: spoken by people
• jana-uktān: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: jana + ukta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (janasya uktān); क्त-प्रत्ययान्त; पुंलिङ्गे द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), बहुवचन; विशेषण

• tān: those
• tān: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), बहुवचन; सर्वनाम

• apavādān: accusations, slanders
• apavādān: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: apavāda (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), बहुवचन

• pṛthak-vidhān: of various kinds
• pṛthak-vidhān: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pṛthak + vidhā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय (pṛthak vidhāḥ); पुंलिङ्गे द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), बहुवचन; विशेषण

• vairāgyam: detachment
• vairāgyam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vairāgya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन

• paramam: supreme
• paramam: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: parama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; विशेषण

• gatvā: having attained
• gatvā: Kriya-viśeṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: gam (धातु) + tvā (क्त्वा)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्यय (absolutive/gerund): ‘having gone/attained’

• nindām: blame, censure
• nindām: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nindā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन

• cakre: did / made
• cakre: Kriya (Predicate action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kṛ (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

• tathā: thus
• tathā: Sambandha (Adverbial/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tathā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb)

• ātmanaḥ: of herself
• ātmanaḥ: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ātman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), एकवचन

Speaker

Sūta

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Śaunaka and sages (frame implied)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The maiden, alone after hearing accusations, lowers her gaze in contemplation; the noisy crowd fades behind; a path toward a forested sacred region opens ahead.

Characters & Entities

• Sūta

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Suffering and blame can become a doorway to vairāgya and self-examination, which Purāṇas present as the beginning of purification.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The tīrtha is not named in this verse, but the surrounding Adhyāya belongs to a Tīrthamāhātmya that will identify the kṣetra and its purifying influence.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; this verse highlights an inner transformation (vairāgya and self-reproach).