Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 12

Devanagari script

शुभं वा यदि वा पापं न तु शक्यं प्ररक्षितुम् । तस्मात्कर्म पुरस्कृत्य नैव त्यक्ष्यामि कन्यकाम्

Transliteration

śubhaṃ vā yadi vā pāpaṃ na tu śakyaṃ prarakṣitum | tasmātkarma puraskṛtya naiva tyakṣyāmi kanyakām

Translation

“Be it auspicious or sinful, it cannot truly be warded off; therefore, placing karma in the forefront, I will not abandon the girl.”

Word by Word

• śubham: merit, auspicious (deed/result)
• śubham: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śubha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; कर्म/वस्तु-निर्देश (neuter abstract)

• vā: or
• vā: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vā (अव्यय)
• Form: विकल्पार्थक-निपात (disjunctive particle: “or”)

• yadi: if
• yadi: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yadi (अव्यय)
• Form: शर्तार्थक-अव्यय (conditional particle: “if”)

• vā: or
• vā: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vā (अव्यय)
• Form: विकल्पार्थक-निपात (disjunctive particle: “or”)

• pāpam: sin, evil (deed/result)
• pāpam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pāpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; कर्म/वस्तु-निर्देश (neuter abstract)

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

• tu: but
• tu: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: विरोध/अवधारणार्थक-निपात (but/indeed)

• śakyam: possible
• śakyam: Pradhāna (Predicate/विधेय)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śakya (कृदन्त; शक्-धातु)
• Form: शक् (धातु) + यत्-प्रत्यय (potential/gerundive), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; विधेय-विशेषण (predicate: “possible”)

• prarakṣitum: to protect
• prarakṣitum: Prayojana (Purpose/प्रयोजन)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra+rakṣ (धातु)
• Form: तुमुन्-प्रत्ययान्त (infinitive), उपसर्ग: प्र; अर्थ: “to protect/guard”

• tasmāt: therefore, from that
• tasmāt: Apādāna (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/अपादान), एकवचन; हेत्वर्थ (ablative: “therefore/from that”)

• karma: action, deed
• karma: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: karman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; पुरस्कृत्य-क्रियायाः कर्म (object of absolutive)

• puraskṛtya: having put first; having considered foremost
• puraskṛtya: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: puras+kṛ (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा/ल्यप्-प्रत्ययान्त अव्ययभाव (absolutive/gerund), अर्थ: “having placed in front; having taken as foremost”

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

• eva: indeed, certainly
• eva: Sambandha (Emphasis/अवधारण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारणार्थक-निपात (emphatic particle: “indeed/just”)

• tyakṣyāmi: I will abandon
• tyakṣyāmi: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: tyaj (धातु)
• Form: लृट्-लकार (simple future), उत्तमपुरुष (1st person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• kanyakām: the maiden/daughter
• kanyakām: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kanyā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

Speaker

King

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A speaker in a pilgrimage setting declares firm resolve not to abandon a young girl, accepting that auspicious or sinful outcomes cannot be fully prevented; attendants and a sacred landscape suggest a tīrtha backdrop.

Characters & Entities

• King

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Facing karma with courage and choosing humane responsibility is portrayed as a dharmic response to fear and superstition.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific tīrtha is mentioned in this verse; it is part of the chapter’s narrative arc within Tīrthamāhātmya.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit ritual is stated.