Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 171

Devanagari script

यत्रापि कुर्वतो नात्मा जुगुप्सामेति पार्थिव । तत्कर्तव्यसमसंगेन यन्नगोप्यं महाजने

Transliteration

yatrāpi kurvato nātmā jugupsāmeti pārthiva | tatkartavyasamasaṃgena yannagopyaṃ mahājane

Translation

O king, whatever act you perform that does not make your own conscience recoil in disgust—do that, in the company of what is proper; and do what need not be concealed from the public.

Word by Word

• yatra: where
• yatra: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yatra (अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (सम्बन्ध/देशवाचक अव्यय) — locative sense “where”

• api: also/even
• api: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (निपात) — emphatic/also

• kurvataḥ: of (one) doing
• kurvataḥ: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kṛ (कृ धातु)
• Form: वर्तमानकाले शतृ-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (present active participle); षष्ठी/सम्बन्धे एकवचनम्; पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग-सम्भव (contextually gen. sg.) — “of (one) doing”

• na: not
• na: Sambandha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (निषेध-निपात)

• ātmā: the self/mind
• ātmā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ātman (आत्मन् प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st/Nominative); एकवचनम्

• jugupsām: disgust/repugnance
• jugupsām: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: jugupsā (जुगुप्सा प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative); एकवचनम्

• eti: goes/comes to
• eti: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: i (इ धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present); प्रथमपुरुष; एकवचनम्; परस्मैपदम्

• pārthiva: O king
• pārthiva: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pārthiva (पार्थिव प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; सम्बोधन (Vocative); एकवचनम्

• tat: that
• tat: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tad (तद् सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया; एकवचनम् — demonstrative “that” (qualifying next)

• kartavya-samasaṅgena: by connection with duty/what should be done
• kartavya-samasaṅgena: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kartavya (कृ धातु + तव्यत्) + sama-saṅga (सम + सङ्ग प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental); एकवचनम्; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (समासङ्गः = “association/connection”; कर्तव्यस्य समासङ्गः = “connection with what ought to be done”)

• yat: which (that which)
• yat: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (यद् सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया; एकवचनम् — relative pronoun “which/that which”

• na: not
• na: Sambandha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (निषेध-निपात)

• gopyam: to be hidden/secret
• gopyam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: gopya (गोप्य प्रातिपदिक; √gup ‘to conceal’ से)
• Form: कृदन्त (यत्-प्रत्यय/भाव्य); नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया; एकवचनम् — “to be concealed”

• mahājane: among the public/among great people
• mahājane: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahā-jana (महान् + जन प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; सप्तमी (7th/Locative); एकवचनम्; कर्मधारय-समासः (महाजनः = “great people/public”)

Speaker

Lomaharṣaṇa (Sūta) to the sages

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Pārthiva (king)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A didactic moment: a revered speaker instructs a king on ethical action—conscience as witness, and deeds fit to be done openly among the virtuous.

Characters & Entities

• Pārthiva (King)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharma aligns with a clean conscience and transparent conduct that can stand before society.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No tīrtha is mentioned; it is an ethical guideline.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly; it prescribes a standard for choosing actions—those not shameful and not requiring secrecy.