Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 19

Devanagari script

ऋषय ऊचुः । अहो त्वं ब्राह्मणोऽसीति तत्कस्मादतिगर्हितम् । करोषि कर्म चैतद्धि म्लेच्छकृत्यं तु बालिश

Transliteration

ṛṣaya ūcuḥ | aho tvaṃ brāhmaṇo'sīti tatkasmādatigarhitam | karoṣi karma caitaddhi mlecchakṛtyaṃ tu bāliśa

Translation

Les sages dirent : « Hélas ! Tu es bien un brāhmaṇa ; pourquoi donc accomplis-tu un acte si blâmable ? Insensé, tu fais précisément ce que l’on tient pour la conduite des mlecchas. »

Word by Word

• ṛṣayaḥ: the sages
• ṛṣayaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ṛṣi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा बहुवचनम् (Nom. pl.)

• ūcuḥ: said
• ūcuḥ: Kriyā (Main action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √vac (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (परोक्षभूत/Perfect); प्रथमपुरुष बहुवचनम्; परस्मैपदम्

• aho: alas!/oh!
• aho: Sambandha (Exclamation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: aho (अव्यय)
• Form: विस्मयादिबोधक अव्यय (interjection)

• tvam: you
• tvam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yusmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम; उत्तमपुरुषार्थे मध्यमपुरुष; प्रथमा एकवचनम् (Nom. sg.)

• brāhmaṇaḥ: a Brahmin
• brāhmaṇaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brāhmaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा एकवचनम् (Nom. sg.)

• asi: are
• asi: Kriyā (Copula)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √as (धातु)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान/Present); मध्यमपुरुष एकवचनम्; परस्मैपदम्

• iti: thus
• iti: Sambandha (Quotation marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iti (अव्यय)
• Form: उद्धरण/इत्यर्थक अव्यय (quotative particle)

• tat: then/therefore
• tat: Sambandha (Logical)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभावे/निपातवत् ‘तत्’ = therefore/then (particle-like use)

• kasmāt: from what reason?/why
• kasmāt: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kim (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम; नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुंलिङ्ग; पञ्चमी एकवचनम् (Abl. sg.); प्रश्नार्थक

• ati-garhitam: highly blameworthy
• ati-garhitam: Karma (Predicate complement)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ati (उपसर्ग/अव्यय) + garhita (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक, √garh)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया एकवचनम् (Nom./Acc. sg.); ‘अतिशयेन गर्हितम्’

• karoṣi: you do
• karoṣi: Kriyā (Main action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √kṛ (धातु)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान/Present); मध्यमपुरुष एकवचनम्; परस्मैपदम्

• karma: deed, act
• karma: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: karman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया एकवचनम् (Acc. sg.)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक अव्यय (conjunction)

• etat: this
• etat: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: etad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम; नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया एकवचनम् (Acc. sg.)

• hi: indeed
• hi: Sambandha (Emphasis)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: hi (अव्यय)
• Form: निश्चय/हेतुबोधक निपात (particle)

• mleccha-kṛtyam: a barbaric act
• mleccha-kṛtyam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mleccha (प्रातिपदिक) + kṛtya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास; नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया एकवचनम् (Acc. sg.); ‘म्लेच्छानां कृत्यम्/म्लेच्छवत् कृत्यम्’

• tu: but
• tu: Sambandha (Contrast)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: विरोध/विशेषबोधक निपात (particle)

• bāliśa: O fool
• bāliśa: Sambodhana (Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bāliśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; सम्बोधन एकवचनम् (Voc. sg.)

Speaker

Ṛṣayaḥ (the sages)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Sages raise a hand in admonition, faces stern yet compassionate, addressing a sacred-threaded man whose posture is aggressive; the contrast between yajñopavīta and ‘mleccha-like’ deed is visually emphasized.

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

It warns that birth or social status is not sufficient; a brāhmaṇa is expected to uphold dharma and purity of conduct, avoiding actions deemed adharmic or impure.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

This verse is a moral rebuke within the Nāgarakhaṇḍa Tīrthamāhātmya context, but the specific tīrtha name is not stated in this single shloka excerpt.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit prescription (snāna, dāna, japa, vrata) appears in this verse; it focuses on ethical conduct and condemnation of improper behavior.