Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 44

Devanagari script

धर्मगुप्तौ मुनेः शापादुन्मत्तः प्रययौ पुरीम् । उन्मत्तरूपं तं दृष्ट्वा मंत्रिणस्तु नृपोत्तमम्

Transliteration

dharmaguptau muneḥ śāpādunmattaḥ prayayau purīm | unmattarūpaṃ taṃ dṛṣṭvā maṃtriṇastu nṛpottamam

Translation

Par la malédiction du muni, Dharmagupta gagna la cité dans un état de démence. Le voyant ainsi, les ministres s’approchèrent du roi excellent…

Word by Word

• dharma-guptau: in Dharmagupta (place)
• dharma-guptau: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dharma (प्रातिपदिक) + gupta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; स्थानवाचक (नगर/देश)

• muneḥ: of the sage
• muneḥ: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: muni (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive), एकवचन

• śāpāt: from/because of the curse
• śāpāt: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śāpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (Ablative), एकवचन; हेत्वर्थे

• unmattaḥ: mad
• unmattaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: unmatta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (सः)

• prayayau: went
• prayayau: Kriyā (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra-√yā (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• purīm: to the city
• purīm: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: purī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• unmatta-rūpam: the mad form/appearance
• unmatta-rūpam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: unmatta (प्रातिपदिक) + rūpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्मपदम् (दृष्ट्वा)

• tam: him
• tam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• dṛṣṭvā: having seen
• dṛṣṭvā: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √dṛś (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (Absolutive/Gerund), अव्यय; पूर्वक्रिया ‘having seen’

• maṃtriṇaḥ: the ministers
• maṃtriṇaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: maṃtrin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• tu: then/but
• tu: Sambandha (Discourse particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle)

• nṛpa-uttamam: the best of kings
• nṛpa-uttamam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nṛpa (प्रातिपदिक) + uttama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्मपदम् (implicit: ‘approached/informed’)

Speaker

Narrator (Purāṇic narrator in Setukhaṇḍa context)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Dharmagupta, eyes unfocused and hair disheveled, staggers into the city; ministers, alarmed and compassionate, gather and move toward the king to report the crisis.

Characters & Entities

• Dharmagupta
• Dhyānakāṣṭha (implicit as the cursing sage)
• Ministers
• King (Nanda, implied by following verses)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Actions and offenses against sages bear swift consequences; dharma requires seeking remedy through righteous counsel and sacred means.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Not yet named here; the narrative soon points to Setu and Dhanuṣkoṭi as the place of release from the curse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None in this verse.