Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 5

Devanagari script

कर्माणि नित्यजातानि नित्यनैमित्तिकानि च । इच्छया नैव सेव्यानि दुःखतापविवृद्धये

Transliteration

karmāṇi nityajātāni nityanaimittikāni ca | icchayā naiva sevyāni duḥkhatāpavivṛddhaye

Translation

Daily duties and the prescribed occasional rites should not be pursued merely from personal desire, for that only increases suffering and the inner heat of distress.

Word by Word

• कर्माणि: actions
• कर्माणि: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कर्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन (Nominative plural)

• नित्यजातानि: ever-arising, constantly produced
• नित्यजातानि: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: नित्य + जात (कृदन्त/प्रातिपदिक; √जन् धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle) ‘जात’; नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; कर्माणि-विशेषणम्

• नित्यनैमित्तिकानि: regular and occasional (ritual) duties
• नित्यनैमित्तिकानि: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: नित्य + नैमित्तिक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; कर्माणि-विशेषणम्

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• इच्छया: by desire, out of wish
• इच्छया: Karana (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इच्छा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन (Instrumental singular)

• न: not
• न: Pratishedha (प्रतिषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-निपात (negation particle)

• एव: indeed, at all
• एव: Sambandha/Emphasis (सम्बन्ध/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (emphatic particle)

• सेव्यानि: to be pursued/served (should be done)
• सेव्यानि: Vidhi/Nishedha (विधि/निषेध)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सेव् (धातु)
• Form: तव्यत्/अनीयर्-अर्थे यत्-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (gerundive: to be served/done), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; कर्माणि-समनाधिकरणम्

• दुःखतापविवृद्धये: for the increase of suffering and torment
• दुःखतापविवृद्धये: Sampradana (सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दुःख + ताप + विवृद्धि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी, एकवचन (Dative singular); प्रयोजनार्थे (for the purpose/result)

Speaker

Īśvara (carried over from context)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim at a tīrtha pauses before ritual implements, turning away from desire-driven offerings; a calm teacher-figure instructs that craving increases inner heat (tāpa).

Characters & Entities

• nitya karma
• naimittika karma
• icchā
• duḥkha-tāpa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Ritual and duty should be rooted in dharma, not desire; desire-driven action multiplies suffering.

Which specific holy site (Tīrtha) is glorified here?

The instruction belongs to the Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra-māhātmya setting within the Nāgara-khaṇḍa’s tīrtha section.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

It references nitya and naimittika duties, cautioning against performing them from mere personal desire.