Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 26

Devanagari script

ततः प्रोचुः समासाद्य येन शप्ता दुरात्मना । वयं तस्मै त्वया दत्ता प्रासादार्थं वसुन्धरा

Transliteration

tataḥ procuḥ samāsādya yena śaptā durātmanā | vayaṃ tasmai tvayā dattā prāsādārthaṃ vasundharā

Translation

Then they approached him and said: “By that wicked man we have been cursed. And by you this land has been granted to him for the sake of building a prāsāda, a temple.”

Word by Word

• ततः: then/thereupon
• ततः: Kriya-visheshaṇa (Adverb/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय; तद्-तसिल्)
• Form: अपादान/कालवाचक-अव्यय (thereupon/then)

• प्रोचुः: they said
• प्रोचुः: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र + वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन (Plural), परस्मैपद

• समासाद्य: having approached
• समासाद्य: Kriya-visheshaṇa (Adverbial participle/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम् + आ + सद् (धातु)
• Form: ल्यप्-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय-भावकृदन्त (Gerund) — 'having approached'

• येन: by whom
• येन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग (Masculine), तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental), एकवचन (Singular)

• शप्ता: cursed
• शप्ता: Kriya (Predicate participle/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: शप् (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त भूतकृदन्त (Past passive participle), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन — 'cursed' (agreeing with implied 'वयम्' as group; grammatically could be taken as plural feminine referring to 'वयम्' as speakers or to an implied feminine plural)

• दुरात्मना: by the wicked one
• दुरात्मना: Karana (Agent-instrumental/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दुरात्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग (Masculine), तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental), एकवचन (Singular)

• वयम्: we
• वयम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तमपुरुष-सर्वनाम, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), बहुवचन (Plural)

• तस्मै: to him
• तस्मै: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग (Masculine), चतुर्थी-विभक्ति (Dative), एकवचन (Singular)

• त्वया: by you
• त्वया: Karana (Agent-instrumental/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: मध्यमपुरुष-सर्वनाम, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental), एकवचन (Singular)

• दत्ता: was given
• दत्ता: Kriya (Predicate participle/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दा (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त भूतकृदन्त (Past passive participle), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — 'was given' (agreeing with वसुन्धरा)

• प्रासादार्थम्: for a palace/temple-building
• प्रासादार्थम्: Prayojana (Purpose/प्रयोजन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रासाद (प्रातिपदिक) + अर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग (Masculine), द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन (Singular); चतुर्थी-अर्थे द्वितीया (purpose-accusative) — 'प्रासादस्य अर्थम्/प्रासादार्थम्'

• वसुन्धरा: the land
• वसुन्धरा: Karta (Subject of passive predicate/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वसुन्धरा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

Speaker

Brāhmaṇas (Dvijas)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Brāhmaṇas confront Suśīla directly, recounting their curse and pointing toward the ascetic’s dwelling and the designated temple plot; Suśīla listens under accusation.

Characters & Entities

• Brāhmaṇas
• Suśīla
• Durātman (wicked person/ascetic as described)
• Vasundharā (land)
• Prāsāda (temple/edifice)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purāṇic dharma emphasizes discernment: even sacred projects can be tainted when driven by or entrusted to wrongful conduct.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

This verse does not specify a tīrtha by name; it belongs to a broader tīrtha-glorifying chapter.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

It references prāsāda-nirmāṇa (temple building) and dāna (grant of land), but gives no step-by-step rite.