Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 21

Devanagari script

श्रीभगवानुवाच । एष पापसमाचारः सदाऽसीत्पृथिवीपतिः । वेणुसंज्ञो धरापृष्ठे कुष्ठव्याधिसमाकुलः

Transliteration

śrībhagavānuvāca | eṣa pāpasamācāraḥ sadā'sītpṛthivīpatiḥ | veṇusaṃjño dharāpṛṣṭhe kuṣṭhavyādhisamākulaḥ

Translation

Der erhabene Herr sprach: „Dieser Mann, stets in sündigem Tun befangen, war einst ein König auf Erden. Er hieß Veṇu und war auf der Welt von der Krankheit des Aussatzes (kuṣṭha) geplagt.“

Word by Word

• śrī-bhagavān: the Blessed Lord
• śrī-bhagavān: Karta (Speaker/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śrī (प्रातिपदिक) + bhagavat (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; कर्मधारयः (śrīmān bhagavān)

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriya (Speech act/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• eṣaḥ: this (man)
• eṣaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: etad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• pāpa-samācāraḥ: sinful in conduct
• pāpa-samācāraḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pāpa (प्रातिपदिक) + samācāra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (pāpaḥ samācāraḥ yasya / pāpasya samācāraḥ) — ‘of sinful conduct’

• sadā: always
• sadā: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रिया-विशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sadā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb): ‘always’

• āsīt: was
• āsīt: Kriya (Main action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: as (धातु)
• Form: लङ् (Imperfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• pṛthivī-patiḥ: king, lord of the earth
• pṛthivī-patiḥ: Karta (Predicate nominative/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pṛthivī (प्रातिपदिक) + pati (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (pṛthivyāḥ patiḥ)

• veṇu-saṃjñaḥ: named Veṇu
• veṇu-saṃjñaḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: veṇu (प्रातिपदिक) + saṃjñā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; बहुव्रीहिः (veṇu-nāmā)

• dharā-pṛṣṭhe: on the surface of the earth
• dharā-pṛṣṭhe: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dharā (प्रातिपदिक) + pṛṣṭha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (dharāyāḥ pṛṣṭhe)

• kuṣṭha-vyādhi-samākulaḥ: afflicted with leprosy-disease
• kuṣṭha-vyādhi-samākulaḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kuṣṭha (प्रातिपदिक) + vyādhi (प्रातिपदिक) + samākula (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (kuṣṭha-vyādhibhiḥ samākulaḥ)

Speaker

Śiva (Śrī Bhagavān, replying to Gaurī)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Suparṇākhyā (implied as the turning-point tīrtha)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Gaurī

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Śiva narrates: a once-king named Veṇu, marked by leprosy, shown in flashback—crown dulled, body afflicted—contrasted with the present radiant figure in Śivaloka.

Characters & Entities

• Śiva
• Gaurī
• Veṇu

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Royal power cannot shield one from karma; sinful habits can manifest as suffering, setting the stage for purification through sacred places.

Which specific holy site (Tīrtha) is glorified here?

The explanation is given in Śiva’s temple context, tied to the Suparṇākhyā kṣetra described in this Adhyāya.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None in this verse; it identifies the person and his karmic condition.