Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 80

Devanagari script

येन सञ्जायते शुद्धिः कुतांबूलसमुद्भवा

Transliteration

yena sañjāyate śuddhiḥ kutāṃbūlasamudbhavā

Translation

«Par quel moyen naît la purification de l’impureté produite par le bétel impropre (kutāmbūla) ?»

Word by Word

• येन: by which
• येन: Karana (Instrument/Means/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन; करण/हेतु-अर्थे

• सञ्जायते: arises/comes about
• सञ्जायते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम्-जन् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

• शुद्धिः: purification
• शुद्धिः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शुद्धि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• कुताम्बूलसमुद्भवा: arising from bad/impure betel
• कुताम्बूलसमुद्भवा: Karta (Subject qualifier/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कु-ताम्बूल + समुद्भव (प्रातिपदिक); कुताम्बूलात् समुद्भवा
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (शुद्धिः-विशेषण); पञ्चमी-तत्पुरुषः (source)

Speaker

Rājā (the king) (elliptical continuation)

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Sage

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Close-up emphasis on the king’s question: a contemplative pause, the sage’s attentive listening; symbolic water vessel (kalaśa) and betel leaves shown side-by-side to contrast impurity and purification.

Characters & Entities

• King (rājā)
• śuddhi
• kutāmbūla

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purāṇic dharma treats purity as recoverable through prescribed means when mistakes occur.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No tīrtha is specified in this verse; it is a question leading into prāyaścitta instruction.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

It asks for the method of śuddhi (purification) for kutāmbūla-doṣa; the prescription follows next.