Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 59

Devanagari script

ततः प्रोचुः सुदुःखार्ताः किमिदं कुसुमायुध । निरुत्साहः समुत्पन्नः कुष्ठव्याधिसमाकुलः

Transliteration

tataḥ procuḥ suduḥkhārtāḥ kimidaṃ kusumāyudha | nirutsāhaḥ samutpannaḥ kuṣṭhavyādhisamākulaḥ

Translation

Alors, accablés d’une grande peine, ils dirent : « Qu’est-ce donc, ô Kusumāyudha ? La vigueur s’est éteinte, et tu es tourmenté par la maladie de la lèpre (kuṣṭha). »

Word by Word

• ततः: then
• ततः: Sambandha (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (क्रियाविशेषण) — 'then'

• प्रोचुः: they said
• प्रोचुः: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र + वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथम-पुरुष, बहुवचन; परस्मैपदम

• सुदुःखार्ताः: greatly distressed
• सुदुःखार्ताः: Karta (Subject-qualifier/कर्तृविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सु (उपसर्ग/उपपद) + दुःख (प्रातिपदिक) + आर्त (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (सुदुःखेन आर्ताः), पुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; कर्तृविशेषण

• किम्: what?
• किम्: Karma (Predicate/प्रश्न-वस्तु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गः, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; प्रश्नार्थक

• इदम्: this
• इदम्: Karma (Predicate/प्रश्न-वस्तु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गः, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; 'this'

• कुसुमायुध: O Kusumāyudha (Kāma)
• कुसुमायुध: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कुसुमायुध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सम्बोधन-प्रथमा (Vocative), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समास (कुसुमं आयुधं यस्य)

• निरुत्साहः: lack of enthusiasm; dejection
• निरुत्साहः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: निरुत्साह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; भाववाचक

• समुत्पन्नः: has arisen
• समुत्पन्नः: Karta (Subject-complement/कर्तृविधेय)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सम् + उत् + पद् (धातु) → उत्पन्न (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), पुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; निरुत्साहः इति विशेषण/विधेय

• कुष्ठव्याधिसमाकुलः: overwhelmed by leprosy-disease
• कुष्ठव्याधिसमाकुलः: Karta (Subject-qualifier/कर्तृविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कुष्ठ (प्रातिपदिक) + व्याधि (प्रातिपदिक) + समाकुल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (कुष्ठव्याधिभिः समाकुलः), पुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; निरुत्साहः/सः इत्यादेः विशेषण

Speaker

Attendants/observers in the narrative (plural ‘they said’; exact identity not explicit in the snippet)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāmeśvarapura-kṣetra (contextual)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A circle of companions, faces drawn with sorrow, address Kāma: they point to his weakened posture and visible marks of leprosy, asking what has happened; the sacred town’s shrine looms behind.

Characters & Entities

• Kusumāyudha (Kāma)
• Kuṣṭha (leprosy)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Suffering and bodily affliction in Purāṇas often signal karmic consequence and become the doorway to tīrtha-upāsanā (devotional practice at a sacred site).

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The scene continues in Kāmeśvarapura, leading into the praise of a specific sacred water-reservoir (kuṇḍa/jalāśaya).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No direct prescription here; the verse introduces the condition (kuṣṭha) that will be addressed by worship and bathing later.