Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 29

Devanagari script

दुष्टेन चक्षुषा दृष्टाः परदारा नराधमैः । सुलोहास्याः खगास्तेषां हरंत्यत्र विलोचने

Transliteration

duṣṭena cakṣuṣā dṛṣṭāḥ paradārā narādhamaiḥ | sulohāsyāḥ khagāsteṣāṃ haraṃtyatra vilocane

Translation

ದುಷ್ಟ ದೃಷ್ಟಿಯಿಂದ ಪರಸ್ತ್ರೀಯರನ್ನು ನೋಡಿದ ನರಾಧಮರ ಕಣ್ಣುಗಳನ್ನು ಇಲ್ಲಿ ಕಬ್ಬಿಣದ ಚಂಚುಳ್ಳ ಪಕ್ಷಿಗಳು ಕಿತ್ತುಕೊಂಡು ಹೋಗುತ್ತವೆ।

Word by Word

• दुष्टेन: wicked, evil
• दुष्टेन: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दुष्ट (√दुष् धातु + क्त कृदन्त/प्रातिपदिकवत्)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (qualifying 'चक्षुषा')

• चक्षुषा: with the eye
• चक्षुषा: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चक्षुस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन

• दृष्टाः: seen
• दृष्टाः: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √दृश् (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (Past passive participle); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; 'परदाराः' इत्यस्य क्रियाविशेषण-भावः (seen)

• पर-दाराः: others' wives
• पर-दाराः: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पर (प्रातिपदिक) + दारा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; 'परस्य दाराः' इति षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष

• नराधमैः: by the vilest men
• नराधमैः: Karta (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर (प्रातिपदिक) + अधम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन; 'अधमा नराः' इति कर्मधारय; कर्तृ-सम्बन्धे करण/कर्तृनिर्देशः (by the vilest men)

• सु-लोह-आस्याः: having very iron (hard) beaks/mouths
• सु-लोह-आस्याः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सु (उपसर्ग/अव्यय) + लोह (प्रातिपदिक) + आस्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; 'सुलोहम् आस्यं येषाम्' इति कर्मधारय-विशेषणम् (qualifying 'खगाः')

• खगाः: birds
• खगाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: खग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• तेषाम्: of them
• तेषाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी, बहुवचन

• हरन्ति: carry off, take away
• हरन्ति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √हृ (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन

• अत्र: here
• अत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (Locative adverb)

• विलोचने: the two eyes
• विलोचने: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विलोचन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), द्विवचन (dual)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced from Nāgara Khaṇḍa Tīrthamāhātmya narrative style)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A terrifying scene: iron-beaked birds swoop in a dark infernal sky, tearing out the eyes of men who ogled another’s wife; the women appear as distant, protected figures, emphasizing the sin is in the gaze.

Characters & Entities

• Paradārā (as a moral category)
• Iron-beaked birds

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sense-control is dharma: even the corrupt gaze (dṛṣṭi-doṣa) toward another’s spouse is condemned and shown as karmically destructive.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No site is named in this verse; it is a moral warning placed within a Māhātmya framework.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit rite; the implied practice is indriya-nigraha (restraint of senses) and respect for marital boundaries.