Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 25

Devanagari script

ततः कतिपयाहस्य प्रकुर्वंती च दीर्घिका । कुष्ठव्याधिगृहीतेन ब्राह्मणेन परिश्रुता

Transliteration

tataḥ katipayāhasya prakurvaṃtī ca dīrghikā | kuṣṭhavyādhigṛhītena brāhmaṇena pariśrutā

Translation

Après quelques jours, tandis que Dīrghikā poursuivait ainsi, sa renommée parvint à un brahmane atteint de la lèpre.

Word by Word

• ततः: then
• ततः: Adhikarana (Context/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatas (अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (क्रियाविशेषण) — 'then'

• कतिपयाहस्य: of a few days
• कतिपयाहस्य: Adhikarana (Time-span/कालावधि)
• Type: Noun
• Root: katipaya (प्रातिपदिक) + aha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (षष्ठी: 'of some days'); पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), एकवचन

• प्रकुर्वन्ती: doing, performing
• प्रकुर्वन्ती: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra-kṛ (धातु) + शतृ (कृत्-प्रत्यय)
• Form: वर्तमानकाले शतृ-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (present active participle); स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (समुच्चयबोधक-निपात)

• दीर्घिका: Dīrghikā (name of a woman)
• दीर्घिका: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dīrghikā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन

• कुष्ठव्याधिगृहीतेन: by a Brahmin afflicted with leprosy
• कुष्ठव्याधिगृहीतेन: Karana (Agent/Instrument in passive sense/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kuṣṭha (प्रातिपदिक) + vyādhi (प्रातिपदिक) + gṛhīta (ग्रह्-धातु + क्त)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (कुष्ठ-व्याधि-गृहीत: 'seized by leprosy-disease'); पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), एकवचन; विशेषण (ब्राह्मणेन)

• ब्राह्मणेन: by a Brahmin
• ब्राह्मणेन: Karana (Agent/Instrument in passive sense/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brāhmaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), एकवचन

• परिश्रुता: was heard about/spoken of widely
• परिश्रुता: Kriya (State/क्रिया-भाव)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pari-śru (धातु) + क्त (कृत्-प्रत्यय)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (past passive participle); स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

Speaker

Narrator (contextual, within the chapter)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A leprosy-stricken Brahmin hears of Dīrghikā’s strange vow; he appears hesitant yet hopeful, moving from the margins toward the town’s center.

Characters & Entities

• Dīrghikā (Dīrghakanyā)
• Brāhmaṇa
• kuṣṭha (leprosy)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Suffering and social stigma become instruments in a dharmic unfolding, where compassion and right action can transform fate.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse remains within the Nāgarakhaṇḍa’s tīrtha-māhātmya setting; it does not specify a distinct tīrtha in this line.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit ritual is stated; the verse introduces a key character (a kuṣṭha-afflicted Brahmin) for the next development.