Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 2

Devanagari script

अनर्हाय च यो दद्या द्वराय निजकन्यकाम् । कार्यकारणलोभेन नरकं स प्रगच्छति

Transliteration

anarhāya ca yo dadyā dvarāya nijakanyakām | kāryakāraṇalobhena narakaṃ sa pragacchati

Translation

“Dan siapa pun yang, karena loba akan keuntungan atau maksud tersembunyi, menyerahkan putrinya sendiri kepada mempelai pria yang tak layak—ia akan jatuh ke neraka.”

Word by Word

• अनर्हाय: to an unworthy (man)
• अनर्हाय: सम्प्रदान (Recipient/Dative)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अनर्ह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे/नपुंसकलिङ्गे, चतुर्थी (4th/Dative), एकवचनम्; विशेषणम् (to an unworthy person)

• च: and
• च: सम्बन्ध (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-निपातः (conjunction)

• यः: who
• यः: कर्ता (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचनम्; सम्बन्धसूचकः (relative pronoun)

• दद्यात्: should give
• दद्यात्: क्रिया (Action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दा (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), परस्मैपदम्, प्रथमपुरुषः (3rd person), एकवचनम्

• वराय: to a bridegroom
• वराय: सम्प्रदान (Recipient/Dative)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, चतुर्थी (4th/Dative), एकवचनम्

• निजकन्यकाम्: his own daughter
• निजकन्यकाम्: कर्म (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: निज (प्रातिपदिक) + कन्यका (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचनम्; समासः—कर्मधारयः (own + daughter)

• कार्यकारणलोभेन: through greed for some purpose/pretext
• कार्यकारणलोभेन: करण (Instrument/Cause)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कार्य (प्रातिपदिक) + कारण (प्रातिपदिक) + लोभ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचनम्; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (kārya-kāraṇa-lobha: greed for (some) purpose/reason)

• नरकम्: hell
• नरकम्: कर्म (Object/Goal)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नरक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचनम्

• सः: he
• सः: कर्ता (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचनम्

• प्रगच्छति: goes to / reaches
• प्रगच्छति: क्रिया (Action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र + गम् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), परस्मैपदम्, प्रथमपुरुषः (3rd person), एकवचनम्

Speaker

Sūta (contextual narration)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra (episode context)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A didactic tableau: the king visualizes the consequence—on one side a greedy exchange of gifts; on the other, a dark naraka vision with messengers; the king recoils and resolves to act righteously.

Characters & Entities

• Sūta

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharma must govern marriage decisions; greed-driven alliances that ignore worthiness bring grave karmic consequences.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No tīrtha is referenced in this verse; it teaches social-ethical dharma within the Tīrthamāhātmya narrative.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

It implicitly concerns kanyādāna, emphasizing eligibility and purity of intention rather than detailing a rite.