Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 9

Devanagari script

त्यजंति मातरः पुत्रान्कलत्राणि तथा नराः । भृत्यान्स्वानपि वित्तेशाः का कथान्यसमुद्भवान्

Transliteration

tyajaṃti mātaraḥ putrānkalatrāṇi tathā narāḥ | bhṛtyānsvānapi vitteśāḥ kā kathānyasamudbhavān

Translation

Les mères abandonnaient leurs fils, et les hommes abandonnaient leurs épouses. Même les riches délaissaient leurs propres serviteurs—que dire alors de ceux des autres maisons ?

Word by Word

• त्यजन्ति: abandon
• त्यजन्ति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: त्यज् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन (Plural)

• मातरः: mothers
• मातरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मातृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), बहुवचन (Plural)

• पुत्रान्: sons
• पुत्रान्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुत्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), बहुवचन (Plural)

• कलत्राणि: wives/spouses
• कलत्राणि: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कलत्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), बहुवचन (Plural)

• तथा: likewise
• तथा: Sambandha (Connector/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय/प्रकारवाचक (adverb: ‘also/likewise’)

• नराः: men
• नराः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), बहुवचन (Plural)

• भृत्यान्: servants
• भृत्यान्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भृत्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), बहुवचन (Plural)

• स्वान्: their own
• स्वान्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्व (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), बहुवचन (Plural)

• अपि: even/also
• अपि: Sambandha (Discourse particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय/अपि-निपात (particle: ‘also/even’)

• वित्तेशाः: lords of wealth (the rich)
• वित्तेशाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वित्त + ईश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), बहुवचन (Plural)

• का: what (need to say)
• का: Sambandha (Discourse/प्रश्न)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययवत् प्रयोगः; प्रश्नार्थक-निपात (interrogative particle: ‘what (need to say)?’)

• कथा: talk/mention
• कथा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कथा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

• अन्यसमुद्भवान्: others who arose (besides these)
• अन्यसमुद्भवान्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अन्य + समुद्भव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), बहुवचन (Plural)

Speaker

Sūta (continuing narration)

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Ṛṣayaḥ

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Heart-rending separations: a mother turning away from a child, a man leaving his wife, a master dismissing servants; empty streets and closed granaries in the background.

Characters & Entities

• Mātṛ
• Putra
• Kalatra
• Bhṛtya
• Vitteśa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Extreme scarcity tests compassion and duty; the Purāṇic frame highlights how dharma collapses without spiritual and material sustenance.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Not specified in the verse; it supports the adhyāya’s māhātmya by portraying the crisis that precedes the tīrtha’s saving role.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None directly; it is a narrative description emphasizing the consequences of adharma under distress.