Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 22

Devanagari script

यः सदारं नरं पश्येदेकांतस्थं तु बुद्धिमान् । अपि चात्यंतपापः स्यात्किं पुनर्निजबांधवम्

Transliteration

yaḥ sadāraṃ naraṃ paśyedekāṃtasthaṃ tu buddhimān | api cātyaṃtapāpaḥ syātkiṃ punarnijabāṃdhavam

Translation

L’homme avisé, s’il regarde un homme demeurant à l’écart avec une femme en secret, encourt déjà un lourd péché ; combien plus encore si cet homme est son propre parent.

Word by Word

• yaḥ: who (he who)
• yaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक-सर्वनाम (relative pronoun)

• sa-dāram: with (his) wife
• sa-dāram: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sa (उपसर्ग/सह) + dāra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; सह-तत्पुरुषः (सदारः = दारैः सह)

• naram: a man
• naram: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• paśyet: should see
• paśyet: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: dṛś (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; धातु: √दृश् (पश्यति)

• ekānta-stham: standing/being in seclusion
• ekānta-stham: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ekānta (प्रातिपदिक) + stha (प्रातिपदिक/कृदन्त-आधार)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (एकान्ते स्थितः)

• tu: but/indeed
• tu: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात (particle), विरोध/विशेषार्थक

• buddhimān: a wise man
• buddhimān: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: buddhi-mat (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; गुणवाचक-विशेष्यरूपेण

• api: even/also
• api: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात (particle), अपि=even/also

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

• atyanta-pāpaḥ: extremely sinful
• atyanta-pāpaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: atyanta (अव्यय/प्रातिपदिक) + pāpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; कर्मधारयः (अत्यन्तं पापः)

• syāt: would become
• syāt: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: as (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; धातु: √अस् (भवति)

• kim: what (how much more)
• kim: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kim (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative) एकवचन (अव्ययीभावार्थे प्रश्न/उत्कर्षे); किम्=what? (here: how much more?)

• punar: again; rather (how much more)
• punar: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: punar (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अव्यय-क्रियाविशेषण (adverb)

• nija-bāndhavam: one’s own relative
• nija-bāndhavam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nija (प्रातिपदिक) + bāndhava (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (निजः बान्धवः)

Speaker

Narrator (contextual ethical maxim; not explicit in the verse)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim/wise man averts his eyes while a couple is implied to be in seclusion; the composition emphasizes ethical restraint—turned face, lowered gaze, and a boundary (curtain/doorway/forest grove).

Characters & Entities

• Relative/kinsman (general)
• Man and woman in seclusion (general)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharma emphasizes restraint and respect for privacy; even unintended impropriety can generate moral fault.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

None; the verse provides a dharmic rule of conduct supporting purity during sacred narratives.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No ritual; it is a conduct-prescription (ācāra) warning against entering or observing private situations.