Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 44

Devanagari script

धर्मगुप्तौ मुनेः शापादुन्मत्तः प्रययौ पुरीम् । उन्मत्तरूपं तं दृष्ट्वा मंत्रिणस्तु नृपोत्तमम्

Transliteration

dharmaguptau muneḥ śāpādunmattaḥ prayayau purīm | unmattarūpaṃ taṃ dṛṣṭvā maṃtriṇastu nṛpottamam

Translation

മുനിയുടെ ശാപം മൂലം ധർമഗുപ്തൻ ഉന്മത്തനായി നഗരത്തിലേക്കു പോയി. അവന്റെ ആ വിക്ഷിപ്തരൂപം കണ്ട മന്ത്രിമാർ ഉത്തമരാജാവിനെ സമീപിച്ചു.

Word by Word

• dharma-guptau: in Dharmagupta (place)
• dharma-guptau: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dharma (प्रातिपदिक) + gupta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; स्थानवाचक (नगर/देश)

• muneḥ: of the sage
• muneḥ: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: muni (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive), एकवचन

• śāpāt: from/because of the curse
• śāpāt: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śāpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (Ablative), एकवचन; हेत्वर्थे

• unmattaḥ: mad
• unmattaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: unmatta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (सः)

• prayayau: went
• prayayau: Kriyā (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra-√yā (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• purīm: to the city
• purīm: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: purī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• unmatta-rūpam: the mad form/appearance
• unmatta-rūpam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: unmatta (प्रातिपदिक) + rūpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्मपदम् (दृष्ट्वा)

• tam: him
• tam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• dṛṣṭvā: having seen
• dṛṣṭvā: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √dṛś (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (Absolutive/Gerund), अव्यय; पूर्वक्रिया ‘having seen’

• maṃtriṇaḥ: the ministers
• maṃtriṇaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: maṃtrin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• tu: then/but
• tu: Sambandha (Discourse particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle)

• nṛpa-uttamam: the best of kings
• nṛpa-uttamam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nṛpa (प्रातिपदिक) + uttama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्मपदम् (implicit: ‘approached/informed’)

Speaker

Narrator (Purāṇic narrator in Setukhaṇḍa context)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Dharmagupta, eyes unfocused and hair disheveled, staggers into the city; ministers, alarmed and compassionate, gather and move toward the king to report the crisis.

Characters & Entities

• Dharmagupta
• Dhyānakāṣṭha (implicit as the cursing sage)
• Ministers
• King (Nanda, implied by following verses)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Actions and offenses against sages bear swift consequences; dharma requires seeking remedy through righteous counsel and sacred means.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Not yet named here; the narrative soon points to Setu and Dhanuṣkoṭi as the place of release from the curse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None in this verse.