Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 39

Devanagari script

कुलदेशोचितं धर्मं यस्त्यक्त्वाऽन्यत्समाचरेत् । कामाद्वा यदि वा लोभात्स प्रेतो जायते नरः

Transliteration

kuladeśocitaṃ dharmaṃ yastyaktvā'nyatsamācaret | kāmādvā yadi vā lobhātsa preto jāyate naraḥ

Translation

Seseorang yang meninggalkan dharma yang sesuai bagi keluarga dan negerinya lalu menjalankan dharma lain—entah karena nafsu atau karena loba—orang itu terlahir sebagai preta (roh gentayangan).

Word by Word

• कुलदेशोचितम्: proper/appropriate to one’s family and region
• कुलदेशोचितम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कुल + देश + उचित (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (कर्म), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (qualifier)

• धर्मम्: duty; dharma
• धर्मम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धर्म (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• यः: who
• यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक-यः (relative pronoun)

• त्यक्त्वा: having abandoned
• त्यक्त्वा: Kriya-visheṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: त्यज् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (gerund/absolutive); पूर्वक्रिया (having abandoned)

• अन्यत्: something else
• अन्यत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अन्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्मपदम्

• समाचरेत्: should practice/perform
• समाचरेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम् + आ + चर् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• कामात्: from desire; due to lust
• कामात्: Hetu/Apādāna (Cause/Source/हेतु/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (अपादान), एकवचन; हेत्वर्थे (cause)

• वा: or
• वा: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वा (अव्यय)
• Form: विकल्पार्थक-निपात (disjunctive particle)

• यदि: if
• यदि: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यदि (अव्यय)
• Form: शर्तार्थक-अव्यय (conditional particle)

• वा: or
• वा: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वा (अव्यय)
• Form: विकल्पार्थक-निपात (disjunctive particle)

• लोभात्: from greed; due to avarice
• लोभात्: Hetu/Apādāna (Cause/Source/हेतु/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लोभ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (अपादान), एकवचन; हेत्वर्थे (cause)

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; अन्वय-प्रदर्शक (correlative pronoun)

• प्रेतः: a preta (departed spirit)
• प्रेतः: Kartṛ-samānādhikaraṇa (Predicate/समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रेत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विधेय (predicate noun)

• जायते: is born; becomes
• जायते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: जन् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (present), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• नरः: a man
• नरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्ता

Speaker

Unspecified in snippet (likely the respondent/teacher in the dialogue)

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Pārthiva-sattama (the King)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A moral tableau: a man turning away from ancestral/regional duties, tempted by desire and greed; behind him a shadowy preta-form emerges, symbolizing karmic consequence.

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

It underscores fidelity to rightful ācāra—dharma suited to one’s context—warning against opportunistic shifts driven by lust or greed.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific tīrtha is mentioned; the verse addresses general dharma within the larger māhātmya narrative.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicit; it prescribes ethical steadiness in one’s dharmic duties (kula/deśa-ācāra).