Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 10

Devanagari script

आनर्त उवाच । नागवल्ली कथं जाता कस्माद्दोषो महान्स्मृतः । अयथावद्भक्षणाच्च तन्मे वक्तुमिहार्हसि

Transliteration

ānarta uvāca | nāgavallī kathaṃ jātā kasmāddoṣo mahānsmṛtaḥ | ayathāvadbhakṣaṇācca tanme vaktumihārhasi

Translation

Ānarta dit : Comment la nāgavallī est-elle née, et pourquoi dit-on qu’une grande faute naît de sa consommation impropre ? Daigne me l’expliquer ici.

Word by Word

• आनर्तः: Ānarta
• आनर्तः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: आनर्त (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• नागवल्ली: nāgavallī (betel vine/leaf)
• नागवल्ली: Karta (of jātā)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नागवल्ली (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• कथम्: how
• कथम्: Kriya-visheshana
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: कथम् (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रश्नवाचक-अव्यय (interrogative adverb)

• जाता: arose/was born
• जाता: Kriya
• Type: Verb
• Root: जन् (धातु) → जात (कृदन्त)
• Form: PPP/भूतकृदन्त (born/come into being), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• कस्मात्: from what cause/why
• कस्मात्: Hetu/Apadana
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, पञ्चमी (5th/Ablative), एकवचन; प्रश्नवाचक

• दोषः: fault/defect
• दोषः: Karta (of smṛtaḥ)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दोष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• महान्: great
• महान्: Visheshana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• स्मृतः: is said/remembered (as)
• स्मृतः: Kriya
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्मृ (धातु) → स्मृत (कृदन्त)
• Form: PPP, पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• अयथावत्: improperly
• अयथावत्: Kriya-visheshana
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अयथावत् (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रकारवाचक-अव्यय (improperly)

• भक्षणात्: from eating; due to consumption
• भक्षणात्: Hetu/Apadana
• Type: Noun
• Root: भक्षण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी, एकवचन

• च: and
• च: Sambandha
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक

• तत्: that
• तत्: Karma (object of vaktum)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• मे: to me/for me
• मे: Sampradana (to me)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी/चतुर्थी (Genitive/Dative), एकवचन; एन्क्लिटिक

• वक्तुम्: to tell
• वक्तुम्: Prayojana (purpose)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु) → वक्तुम् (तुमुन्)
• Form: तुमुन्-प्रत्यय (infinitive), अव्ययभाव

• इह: here
• इह: Adhikarana (context/place)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इह (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (adverb of place)

• अर्हसि: you ought/are able (to)
• अर्हसि: Kriya
• Type: Verb
• Root: अर्ह् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

Speaker

Ānarta

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Viśvāmitra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The king asks for the origin story of nāgavallī and the reason a great fault is associated with improper consumption—anticipating a mythic backstory.

Characters & Entities

• Ānarta
• nāgavallī

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharma encourages inquiry into origins and rules so practice is informed, not careless.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The inquiry is situated within the Śaṃkhatīrtha-māhātmya chapter.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

It flags the concern about ayathāvat-bhakṣaṇa (improper consumption), prompting the forthcoming rule/explanation.