Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 50

Devanagari script

मा नाथ कुरु पद्मानां विक्रयं धनलोभतः । कुरुष्व च हितं वाक्यं यत्ते वक्ष्यामि सांप्रतम्

Transliteration

mā nātha kuru padmānāṃ vikrayaṃ dhanalobhataḥ | kuruṣva ca hitaṃ vākyaṃ yatte vakṣyāmi sāṃpratam

Translation

「だめです、わが君。金欲しさにこの蓮華を売ってはなりません。真に益あることをなさってください——いま私が申すことをお聞きください。」

Word by Word

• mā: do not
• mā: Sambandha (Prohibition/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: mā (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक-अव्यय (prohibitive particle, used with imperative)

• nātha: O lord (husband)
• nātha: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nātha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग; सम्बोधन (8th/सम्बोधन), एकवचन

• kuru: do
• kuru: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kṛ (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (आज्ञार्थ/Imperative); मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• padmānām: of lotuses
• padmānām: Shashthi-Sambandha (Genitive/षष्ठी-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: padma (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; षष्ठी, बहुवचन

• vikrayam: sale
• vikrayam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vi-kraya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग; द्वितीया, एकवचन

• dhana-lobhataḥ: out of greed for money
• dhana-lobhataḥ: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dhana (प्रातिपदिक) + lobha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग; पञ्चमी, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समास (धनस्य लोभः)

• kuruṣva: do (for yourself), perform
• kuruṣva: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kṛ (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (आज्ञार्थ); मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद (कुरुष्व)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Conjunction/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• hitam: beneficial
• hitam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: hita (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषण

• vākyam: speech, words
• vākyam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vākya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया, एकवचन

• yat: which
• yat: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम; नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया, एकवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक (relative pronoun)

• te: to you
• te: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yusmad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम; चतुर्थी (4th/सम्प्रदान), एकवचन

• vakṣyāmi: I will tell
• vakṣyāmi: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (धातु)
• Form: लृट् (भविष्यत्); उत्तमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• sāṃpratam: now
• sāṃpratam: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sāṃpratam (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (adverb of time: now/at present)

Speaker

The wife (dayitā) advising her husband

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A basket of fresh lotuses between the couple; the wife gestures gently to stop the sale, pointing instead toward a temple path or riverbank, indicating a better course.

Characters & Entities

• Padma (lotus)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Worship should not be compromised by greed; dharmic benefit (hita) is higher than immediate profit.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The wider chapter’s devotion is directed to Mahākāla in a tīrtha-māhātmya setting; this verse focuses on ethical conduct rather than naming the site.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

An implied prescription: preserve the sacred lotuses for pūjā instead of selling them for wealth.