Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 69

Devanagari script

कुलत्रयगृहं कीर्त्या निजया धवलीकृतम् । कृष्णं करोत्यकृ त्येन नारी दीपशिखेव तु

Transliteration

kulatrayagṛhaṃ kīrtyā nijayā dhavalīkṛtam | kṛṣṇaṃ karotyakṛ tyena nārī dīpaśikheva tu

Translation

Rumah tiga garis keluarga yang telah diputihkan oleh kemasyhurannya sendiri, dapat digelapkan oleh seorang perempuan melalui perbuatan yang tak patut—laksana nyala pelita yang tiba-tiba berasap dan menghitamkan.

Word by Word

• kula-traya-gṛham: the house of three generations
• kula-traya-gṛham: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kula (प्रातिपदिक) + traya (प्रातिपदिक) + gṛha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (kulatrayasya gṛham)

• kīrtyā: by fame/reputation
• kīrtyā: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kīrti (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन

• nijayā: by her own
• nijayā: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: nija (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifying kīrtyā)

• dhavalī-kṛtam: made white/brightened
• dhavalī-kṛtam: Karma-samānādhikaraṇa (Object complement)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dhavalī (प्रातिपदिक) + kṛ (धातु)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (कृत-प्रत्यय/क्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; कर्मणि प्रयोग (made white)

• kṛṣṇam: black/dark
• kṛṣṇam: Karma-samānādhikaraṇa (Object complement)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kṛṣṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; विशेषण (object complement)

• karoti: makes
• karoti: Kriyā (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kṛ (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; सकर्मक

• akṛtyena: by an improper deed
• akṛtyena: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: akṛtya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन; नञ्-समासपूर्वक (improper act)

• nārī: a woman
• nārī: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nārī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• dīpa-śikhā: a lamp-flame
• dīpa-śikhā: Upamāna (Standard of comparison/उपमान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dīpa (प्रातिपदिक) + śikhā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (dīpasya śikhā)

• iva: like
• iva: Upamā-dyotaka (Comparator)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iva (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; उपमावाचक (particle of comparison: like/as)

• tu: but/indeed
• tu: Discourse particle (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात (particle)

Speaker

Unspecified (didactic narrator voice in Nāgarakhaṇḍa Tīrthamāhātmya)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A bright ancestral house with whitewashed walls and three shining lamps; one lamp suddenly smokes, leaving soot—symbolizing improper acts obscuring family fame.

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Improper conduct can quickly overturn long-earned virtue and reputation; dharma must be protected through right action.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific tīrtha is identified in this verse; it serves as a general dharmic illustration within the Māhātmya.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it is an ethical metaphor using the lamp-flame image.