Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 70

Devanagari script

राक्षसैर्दुष्टजातीयैर्महामांसस्यलोलुपैः । कृतश्च निग्रहस्तेषां प्रत्यक्षं तव दूत यः

Transliteration

rākṣasairduṣṭajātīyairmahāmāṃsasyalolupaiḥ | kṛtaśca nigrahasteṣāṃ pratyakṣaṃ tava dūta yaḥ

Translation

Ces rākṣasas—d’une nature vile, avides de grandes quantités de chair—ont été contenus ; et cette répression, ô messager, t’est visible de tes propres yeux.

Word by Word

• rākṣasaiḥ: by the demons
• rākṣasaiḥ: Karta/Instrument (Agent/करण-कर्तृ)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rākṣasa (राक्षस-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/instrumental), बहुवचन

• duṣṭajātīyaiḥ: of wicked kind
• duṣṭajātīyaiḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: duṣṭa (दुष्ट-प्रातिपदिक) + jātīya (जातीय-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय-समास ('दुष्टा जातीयाः'); पुल्लिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन; विशेषणम् राक्षसैः

• mahāmāṃsasya: of great flesh/meat
• mahāmāṃsasya: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahā (महा-प्रातिपदिक) + māṃsa (मांस-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय-समास ('महद् मांसम्'); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/genitive), एकवचन

• lolupaiḥ: greedy
• lolupaiḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: lolupa (लोलुप-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन; विशेषणम् राक्षसैः

• kṛtaḥ: was done
• kṛtaḥ: Kriyā (Participial predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √kṛ (कृ धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त, पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — 'done'

• ca: and
• ca: Samuccaya (Coordination/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयार्थक-निपात (conjunction)

• nigrahaḥ: restraint / suppression / punishment
• nigrahaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nigraha (निग्रह-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• teṣām: of them
• teṣām: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (तद्-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम; षष्ठी, बहुवचन — 'of them'

• pratyakṣam: directly / visibly
• pratyakṣam: Prakāra (Manner/प्रकार)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: pratyakṣa (प्रत्यक्ष-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभाववत् क्रियाविशेषण-प्रयोगः; नपुंसकलिङ्ग एकवचन रूपेण अव्ययवत् — 'directly/visibly'

• tava: your
• tava: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yusmad (युष्मद्-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम; षष्ठी, एकवचन — 'your'

• dūta: O messenger
• dūta: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dūta (दूत-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th/vocative), एकवचन

• yaḥ: which / who
• yaḥ: Sambandha (Relative connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (यद्-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम; पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — relative pronoun

Speaker

Rākṣasasattama (contextual continuation of address to the messenger)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A declaration to the messenger: the vile, flesh-greedy rākṣasas have been restrained, and the proof is directly visible—peace and safety restored.

Characters & Entities

• Rākṣasas
• Dūta (messenger)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharma is upheld by curbing predatory impulses; visible reform is part of true atonement.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No tīrtha is specified in this verse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it reports the factual restraint of wrongdoers.