Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 59

Devanagari script

महेश्वर उवाच । धर्ममार्गप्रवृत्तस्य सदाचारस्य भूपतेः । कथं निवारणं तत्र क्रियते कश्च निग्रहः

Transliteration

maheśvara uvāca | dharmamārgapravṛttasya sadācārasya bhūpateḥ | kathaṃ nivāraṇaṃ tatra kriyate kaśca nigrahaḥ

Translation

Maheśvara dit : «Ô roi, pour celui qui demeure sur la voie du dharma et s’enracine dans la bonne conduite, comment pourrait-on y établir un empêchement, et par qui pourrait-il être retenu ?»

Word by Word

• महेश्वरः: Maheśvara (Śiva)
• महेश्वरः: Karta (Speaker/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महेश्वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), परस्मैपद; प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन

• धर्ममार्गप्रवृत्तस्य: of one engaged in the path of dharma
• धर्ममार्गप्रवृत्तस्य: Shashthi-sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठीसम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: धर्म (प्रातिपदिक) + मार्ग (प्रातिपदिक) + प्रवृत्त (कृदन्त, प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन; ‘धर्ममार्गे प्रवृत्त’ (engaged in the path of dharma)

• सदाचारस्य: of good conduct
• सदाचारस्य: Shashthi-sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठीसम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सत् (प्रातिपदिक) + आचार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन; ‘सद् आचारः’ (good conduct)

• भूपतेः: of the king
• भूपतेः: Shashthi-sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठीसम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भूपति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• कथम्: how
• कथम्: Kriya-viseshana (Interrogative modifier/प्रश्न)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: कथम् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रश्नार्थक क्रियाविशेषण (interrogative adverb)

• निवारणम्: prevention/obstruction
• निवारणम्: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: निवारण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; भाववाचक (act of prevention)

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

• क्रियते: is done/made
• क्रियते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), आत्मनेपद; प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; कर्मणि प्रयोग (passive)

• कः: what/which
• कः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; प्रश्नवाचक (who/what)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयबोधक (conjunction)

• निग्रहः: restraint/punishment
• निग्रहः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: निग्रह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

Speaker

Śiva (Maheśvara)

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Brahmā (and addressed vocatively as 'bhūpate' within the reported speech context)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Śiva speaks with calm authority, questioning the very possibility of restraining a dharma-established king; Brahmā and the divine assembly listen as the principle of dharma’s inviolability is declared.

Characters & Entities

• Śiva (Maheśvara)
• King (bhūpati)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Genuine dharma grounded in good conduct carries an intrinsic protection—attempts to obstruct it are portrayed as improper and ultimately ineffectual.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

This verse sits within the Nāgarakhaṇḍa’s Tīrthamāhātmya context, but this specific line emphasizes dharma rather than naming a particular tīrtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly; the focus is ethical—steadfastness in dharma and sadācāra.