Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 34

Devanagari script

दृश्यन्ते ये नरा लोके कुष्ठव्याधिसमाकुलाः । सुवर्णहरणं सर्वैस्तैः कृतं पापकर्मभिः

Transliteration

dṛśyante ye narā loke kuṣṭhavyādhisamākulāḥ | suvarṇaharaṇaṃ sarvaistaiḥ kṛtaṃ pāpakarmabhiḥ

Translation

世に見られる、癩病（らいびょう）に悩まされる人々は――そのような罪人たちは皆、悪業として黄金を盗むことを行ったのである。

Word by Word

• दृश्यन्ते: are seen
• दृश्यन्ते: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन; आत्मनेपद; कर्मणि-प्रयोग (passive)

• ये: who/which
• ये: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; relative pronoun qualifying नराः

• नराः: men/people
• नराः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; passive subject

• लोके: in the world
• लोके: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लोक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th case), एकवचन; अधिकरण (locative)

• कुष्ठव्याधिसमाकुलाः: afflicted with leprosy-disease
• कुष्ठव्याधिसमाकुलाः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कुष्ठ-व्याधि-समाकुल (प्रातिपदिक); कुष्ठ + व्याधि + समाकुल
• Form: बहुपद-तत्पुरुष (कुष्ठव्याधिना समाकुलाः), पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; नराः इति विशेषण

• सुवर्णहरणम्: stealing of gold
• सुवर्णहरणम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सुवर्ण-हरण (प्रातिपदिक); सुवर्ण + हरण
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास, नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; here as object of कृतम् (done)

• सर्वैः: by all
• सर्वैः: Karta (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन; agent in passive ‘by all’

• तैः: by them
• तैः: Karta (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, पुल्लिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन; refers to those men; agent in passive

• कृतम्: done/committed
• कृतम्: Kriya (Passive predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कृ (धातु) → कृत (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कृदन्त (क्त, भूतकर्मणि), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; passive predicate with सुवर्णहरणम्

• पापकर्मभिः: by sinful acts
• पापकर्मभिः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाप-कर्मन् (प्रातिपदिक); पाप + कर्मन्
• Form: कर्मधारय-समास (पापं कर्म), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन; means/association ‘through sinful deeds’

Speaker

Sahasrāṃśu (Sūrya, the Sun-god)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A didactic panorama: several figures afflicted with leprosy appear in the world; above or beside them, symbolic imagery of stolen gold indicates the karmic cause, while a compassionate sage/deity gestures in instruction.

Characters & Entities

• Sahasrāṃśu
• kuṣṭha (leprosy)
• suvarṇa-haraṇa (gold theft)
• pāpa-karma

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The Purāṇic ethic links wrongdoing to suffering, urging self-restraint and repentance rather than repeating harmful acts.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse supports the tīrtha-mahātmya frame by showing how sacred practice remedies karmic disease; the site name is not specified in this line.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit ritual; it functions as a deterrent teaching (niṣedha) against suvarṇa-haraṇa.