Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 68

Devanagari script

एतास्तु निर्घृणत्वेन निर्दय त्वेन नित्यशः । विशेषाज्जाड्यकृत्येन दूषयंति कुलत्रयम्

Transliteration

etāstu nirghṛṇatvena nirdaya tvena nityaśaḥ | viśeṣājjāḍyakṛtyena dūṣayaṃti kulatrayam

Translation

Ces femmes, par leur dureté constante et leur absence de compassion—surtout par une conduite obtuse et avilissante—jettent l’opprobre sur la triple lignée familiale.

Word by Word

• etāḥ: these (women)
• etāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: etad (प्रातिपदिक/सर्वनाम)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक

• tu: but/indeed
• tu: Discourse particle (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात/विरोधार्थक-अथवा-विशेषक (particle: but/indeed)

• nirghṛṇatvena: by/through mercilessness
• nirghṛṇatvena: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nirghṛṇatva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन; भाववाचक-तद्धितान्त (-त्व)

• nirdayatvena: by/through cruelty
• nirdayatvena: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nirdayatva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन; भाववाचक-तद्धितान्त (-त्व)

• nityaśaḥ: always
• nityaśaḥ: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: nityaśas (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रियाविशेषण (adverb: always/constantly)

• viśeṣāt: especially
• viśeṣāt: Hetu/Reason (हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: viśeṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/Ablative), एकवचन; अव्ययीभावार्थे (especially)

• jāḍya-kṛtyena: by the act born of stupidity
• jāḍya-kṛtyena: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: jāḍya (प्रातिपदिक) + kṛtya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (jāḍyasya kṛtyam)

• dūṣayanti: they corrupt/defile
• dūṣayanti: Kriyā (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: dūṣ (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन; सकर्मक

• kula-trayam: the threefold family (three generations)
• kula-trayam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kula (प्रातिपदिक) + traya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; कर्मधारय/तत्पुरुष (three families)

Speaker

Unspecified (didactic narrator voice in Nāgarakhaṇḍa Tīrthamāhātmya)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A didactic scene: an elder/ṛṣi admonishes a household; the ‘threefold family’ is symbolized by three ancestral lamps or three lineage-trees, one beginning to wither from harsh winds of cruelty.

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Cruelty and irresponsible behavior corrupt not only the individual but also the wider social and familial fabric; dharma requires compassion and steadiness.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No named tīrtha is present in the verse; it is part of a broader moral instruction within the Māhātmya.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; the verse focuses on character and social-dharmic consequence.