Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 8

Devanagari script

तत्राभूद्ब्राह्मणः कश्चित्कुष्ठव्याधिसमन्वितः । पूर्वकर्मविपाकेन यौवनेसमुपस्थिते

Transliteration

tatrābhūdbrāhmaṇaḥ kaścitkuṣṭhavyādhisamanvitaḥ | pūrvakarmavipākena yauvanesamupasthite

Translation

वहाँ एक ब्राह्मण था जो कुष्ठ-रोग से ग्रस्त था; पूर्वजन्म के कर्मों के विपाक से वह रोग उसके यौवन में आ पहुँचा था।

Word by Word

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (locative adverb)

• अभूत्: there was
• अभूत्: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: लुङ् (Aorist/Imperfective past), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• ब्राह्मणः: a Brahmin
• ब्राह्मणः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्राह्मण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• कश्चित्: someone, a certain
• कश्चित्: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + चित् (अव्यय-प्रत्यय)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; अनिश्चितवाचक सर्वनाम (indefinite pronoun)

• कुष्ठ-व्याधि-समन्वितः: afflicted with leprosy-disease
• कुष्ठ-व्याधि-समन्वितः: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कुष्ठ (प्रातिपदिक) + व्याधि (प्रातिपदिक) + समन्वित (सम्+अन्वि/इ धातु, क्त कृदन्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; ‘कुष्ठव्याधिना समन्वितः’ इति तृतीया-तत्पुरुष

• पूर्व-कर्म-विपाकेन: by the fruition of former deeds
• पूर्व-कर्म-विपाकेन: Hetu/Karana (हेतु/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पूर्व (प्रातिपदिक) + कर्म (प्रातिपदिक) + विपाक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन; ‘पूर्वस्य कर्मणः विपाकः’ इति षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष

• यौवने: in youth
• यौवने: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यौवन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• समुपस्थिते: when (it) had come/arrived
• समुपस्थिते: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम् + उप + स्था (धातु)
• Form: भूतकृत् (क्त) कृदन्त; नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; ‘समुपस्थित’ = having arrived/occurred (agreeing with यौवने)

Speaker

Sūta

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Viṭaṃkapura / Hāṭakeśvara narrative-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Ṛṣis

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A young brāhmaṇa, body marked by leprosy, sits in quiet despair near a coastal city lane or courtyard; the sea is distant; the mood is compassionate and contemplative.

Characters & Entities

• Brāhmaṇa
• Kuṣṭha (leprosy)
• Karma

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Suffering is framed within karma-vipāka, yet the tīrtha-māhātmya context signals that divine grace and right practice can transform one’s condition.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The story is set in and around Viṭaṃkapura, leading toward the Hāṭakeśvara-associated tīrthas described earlier.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None yet; the verse introduces the devotee’s predicament that will motivate religious action in subsequent verses.