Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 19

Devanagari script

स यदा यौवनं भेजे मानुषं च पुरा स्थितः । तथातथा च तापेन कामोत्थेन प्रपीड्यते

Transliteration

sa yadā yauvanaṃ bheje mānuṣaṃ ca purā sthitaḥ | tathātathā ca tāpena kāmotthena prapīḍyate

Translation

Lorsqu’il atteignit la jeunesse humaine, bien qu’autrefois établi autrement, il fut tourmenté sans cesse par la brûlure ardente née du désir.

Word by Word

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन — Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• यदा: when
• यदा: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Temporal clause marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यदा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (सम्बन्ध/कालवाचक) — temporal conjunction (when)

• यौवनम्: youth
• यौवनम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यौवन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन — Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• भेजे: attained/entered
• भेजे: Kriyā (Main verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भज् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद — Perfect, 3rd person, Singular, Parasmaipada

• मानुषम्: human
• मानुषम्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मानुष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन — Neuter, Accusative, Singular; विशेषण (यौवन-विशेषण)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (समुच्चय) — conjunction

• पुरा: formerly
• पुरा: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Temporal modifier)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुरा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (कालवाचक) — adverb (formerly)

• स्थितः: being/remaining (in that state)
• स्थितः: Karta (Subject qualifier)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्था (धातु) + क्त (क्त-प्रत्यय)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त, पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन — past participle, Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• तथा: thus
• तथा: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Manner modifier)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (प्रकारवाचक) — adverb (thus/so)

• तथा: again and again
• तथा: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Manner modifier)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (पुनरुक्ति-प्रकारवाचक) — adverb (so and so / repeatedly)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (समुच्चय) — conjunction

• तापेन: by torment/heat
• तापेन: Karaṇa (Instrument/cause)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ताप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), एकवचन — Masculine, Instrumental, Singular

• कामोत्थेन: born of desire
• कामोत्थेन: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: काम (प्रातिपदिक) + उत्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), एकवचन — Masculine, Instrumental, Singular; तत्पुरुष (कामात् उत्थः) — ‘arisen from desire’; विशेषण (ताप-विशेषण)

• प्रपीड्यते: is afflicted
• प्रपीड्यते: Kriyā (Main verb; passive)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र-पीड् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान/Present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, आत्मनेपद; कर्मणि प्रयोग (passive) — Present, 3rd person, Singular, Ātmanepada, Passive

Speaker

Narrator (Purāṇic narrator within Nāgara-khaṇḍa; exact named speaker not in snippet)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A youthful man, inwardly burning with desire, shown with a restless gaze and heated aura; the outer world calm while his mind is aflame.

Characters & Entities

• Kāma (as desire)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Desire, once unleashed, becomes a recurring inner torment; mastery of kāma is essential for dharmic living.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No site is named in this verse; it serves the moral-narrative thread within the tīrthamāhātmya.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly; the focus is psychological and ethical (the affliction of kāma).