Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 74

Devanagari script

अथ यः कुरुते कर्म तत्र विष्ठाप्रशोधनम् । सोऽभ्येत्य तमुवाचेदं कोपसंरक्तलोचनः

Transliteration

atha yaḥ kurute karma tatra viṣṭhāpraśodhanam | so'bhyetya tamuvācedaṃ kopasaṃraktalocanaḥ

Translation

Alors l’homme dont la charge était d’y nettoyer les excréments s’approcha et lui adressa ces paroles, les yeux rougis par la colère.

Word by Word

• अथ: then
• अथ: Discourse marker (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अथ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अनुक्रम/आरम्भसूचक (then/now)

• यः: who
• यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक-यः (relative pronoun)

• कुरुते: does
• कुरुते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• कर्म: work/deed
• कर्म: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कर्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• तत्र: there/in that
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक (locative adverb: ‘there/in that matter’)

• विष्ठाप्रशोधनम्: cleaning of excrement
• विष्ठाप्रशोधनम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विष्ठा + प्रशोधन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (विष्ठायाः प्रशोधनम् = ‘cleaning of feces’)

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• अभ्येत्य: having approached
• अभ्येत्य: Purvakala-kriya (पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अभि-इ (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund); धातुः—इ, उपसर्गः—अभि; ‘having approached’

• तम्: him
• तम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (परफेक्ट), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• इदम्: this
• इदम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; वाक्यविषय-निर्देश (this [speech])

• कोपसंरक्तलोचनः: with eyes reddened by anger
• कोपसंरक्तलोचनः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कोप + संरक्त + लोचन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः—बहुव्रीहिः (कोपेन संरक्ते लोचने यस्य = ‘whose eyes are reddened with anger’)

Speaker

Sūta (narration)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A worker responsible for cleaning approaches, face flushed, eyes red with anger, confronting the disguised cleaner at the foul site.

Characters & Entities

• worker (cleaner)
• rājā (disguised)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Ego and livelihood concerns can trigger anger; dharma is tested when service intersects with social roles and resentment.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse does not name a tīrtha; it continues the moral narrative within the sacred-place discourse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it narrates an interpersonal confrontation arising from assigned work.