Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 19

Devanagari script

निर्दोषोऽपि त्वया यस्माच्छप्तोऽहं गणिकाधमे । तस्माद्भव त्वमप्याशु जराजर्जरितांगिका

Transliteration

nirdoṣo'pi tvayā yasmācchapto'haṃ gaṇikādhame | tasmādbhava tvamapyāśu jarājarjaritāṃgikā

Translation

Bien que je sois sans faute, puisque tu m’as maudit, ô la plus vile des courtisanes, toi aussi—bien vite—deviens celle dont le corps est brisé par la vieillesse.

Word by Word

• निर्दोषः: faultless, blameless
• निर्दोषः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: निर्-दोष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (निर्दोषः = दोषरहितः)

• अपि: even/although
• अपि: Sambandha/Discourse particle (सम्बन्ध/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle), अपि = ‘even/although’

• त्वया: by you
• त्वया: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्वद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/स्त्री (सर्वनाम), तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन

• यस्मात्: because/since (from which reason)
• यस्मात्: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुं (सर्वनाम), पञ्चमी (5th/Ablative), एकवचन; हेतु-अर्थे ‘because/since’

• शप्तः: cursed
• शप्तः: Karma-bhuta (Patient/कर्मभूत)
• Type: Verb
• Root: शप् (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘शप्तः’ = शापितः

• अहम्: I
• अहम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• गणिकाधमे: O lowest of courtesans
• गणिकाधमे: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गणिका + अधम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, संबोधन (8th/Vocative), एकवचन; ‘गणिकानां अधम’ इति षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः

• तस्मात्: therefore
• तस्मात्: Hetu-phala connector (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव-प्राय निपातवत् प्रयोगः; ‘therefore/for that reason’ (तस्मात् इति हेतुफल-सूचक)

• भव: become / be
• भव: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (Imperative), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd person), एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• त्वम्: you
• त्वम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्वद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• अपि: also/even
• अपि: Sambandha/Discourse particle (सम्बन्ध/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle), ‘also/even’

• आशु: quickly
• आशु: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: आशु (अव्यय)
• Form: क्रियाविशेषण (adverb)

• जरा-जरजरित-अङ्गिका: a woman whose limbs are worn out by old age
• जरा-जरजरित-अङ्गिका: Karta-predicative (कर्तृ-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: जरा + जरजरित (प्रातिपदिक; √जॄ/जृ ‘to decay’ से निष्पन्न) + अङ्गिका (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; बहुव्रीहिः—‘जरा-जरजरितानि अङ्गानि यस्याः सा’

Speaker

The cursed sage (muni) replying with a counter-curse

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kund

Visual Art Cues

Scene: An aged sage, wronged yet powerful in tapas, pronounces a counter-curse upon a courtesan; the moment is tense—his ascetic aura contrasts with her ornamented appearance, foreshadowing sudden decay.

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

It reinforces moral causality: unjust harm rebounds, and retaliatory curses multiply suffering for both sides.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No tīrtha is named in this verse; it is part of the chapter’s narrative arc.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None.