Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 21

Devanagari script

पूर्वकर्मविपाकेन तस्य भूमिपतेर्द्विजाः । कुष्ठव्याधिरभूद्रौद्रो दुश्चिकित्स्यो जगत्त्रये

Transliteration

pūrvakarmavipākena tasya bhūmipaterdvijāḥ | kuṣṭhavyādhirabhūdraudro duścikitsyo jagattraye

Translation

Ô vous, deux-fois-nés, par la maturation des actes antérieurs, ce roi fut frappé d’une lèpre terrible, difficile à guérir dans les trois mondes.

Word by Word

• पूर्वकर्मविपाकेन: by the fruition of past deeds
• पूर्वकर्मविपाकेन: Karana (Instrument/Cause/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पूर्व (प्रातिपदिक) + कर्म (प्रातिपदिक) + विपाक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समासः (पूर्वकर्मणः विपाकः)

• तस्य: of him
• तस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• भूमिपतेः: of the king
• भूमिपतेः: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भूमि (प्रातिपदिक) + पति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (भूमेः पतिः)

• द्विजाः: O twice-born (brāhmaṇas)
• द्विजाः: Sambodhana (Vocative address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्विज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; संबोधनार्थे अपि प्रयोगः (O brāhmaṇas)

• कुष्ठव्याधिः: the disease of leprosy
• कुष्ठव्याधिः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कुष्ठ (प्रातिपदिक) + व्याधि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; कर्मधारयः (कुष्ठरूपः व्याधिः)

• अभूत्: arose; became
• अभूत्: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: लङ् (Imperfect/past), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• रौद्रः: terrible
• रौद्रः: Visheshana (Adjectival predicate/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: रौद्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• दुश्चिकित्स्यः: hard to cure
• दुश्चिकित्स्यः: Visheshana (Adjectival predicate/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दुस् (उपसर्ग/प्रातिपदिक) + चिकित्स्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; उपपद-तत्पुरुषः (दुष्टं चिकित्स्यः = difficult to treat)

• जगत्त्रये: in the three worlds
• जगत्त्रये: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जगत् (प्रातिपदिक) + त्रय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (जगतां त्रये)

Speaker

Narrator (addressing Dvijas)

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Dvijāḥ (brāhmaṇas)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The king, once radiant, is shown afflicted—skin marked, posture heavy—surrounded by concerned brāhmaṇas and physicians; the mood is grave, emphasizing the inexorability of karma.

Characters & Entities

• Ratnākṣa
• Dvija

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Even the virtuous may face suffering due to prior karma; Purāṇas use this to direct one toward purification and sacred remedies.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Adhyāya’s sacred kuṇḍa is implied as the divinely ordained means of relief for such otherwise incurable afflictions.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No direct rite here; it introduces the condition that will be addressed through tīrtha practice (snāna) in the narrative.