Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 21

Devanagari script

तदस्यापि कृते पापं शत्रुषड्वर्गनिर्जिताः । कथंकारं न लज्जन्ते कुर्वाणा नृपसत्तम

Transliteration

tadasyāpi kṛte pāpaṃ śatruṣaḍvarganirjitāḥ | kathaṃkāraṃ na lajjante kurvāṇā nṛpasattama

Translation

അതിന്റെ പേരിലും പാപം ചെയ്യപ്പെടുന്നു—കാമക്രോധാദി ആറു അന്തർശത്രുക്കൾക്കാൽ ജയിക്കപ്പെട്ടവർ. ഹേ നൃപശ്രേഷ്ഠാ, ഇങ്ങനെ കർമ്മം ചെയ്യുമ്പോഴും അവർ ലജ്ജിക്കാത്തത് എങ്ങനെ?

Word by Word

• तत्: that (matter)
• तत्: Sambandha/Anvaya (correlative reference)
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; demonstrative pronoun

• अस्य: of him/this
• अस्य: Sambandha (genitive)
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: इदम्/अदस्-सम्बद्ध ‘अस्य’ (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6), एकवचन; genitive pronoun

• अपि: also, even
• अपि: Sambandha (emphasis)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle), समुच्चय/अपि-भाव

• कृते: in the act done / when done
• कृते: Adhikarana (locative)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कृ (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त ‘कृत’; नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7), एकवचन; locative absolute sense ‘in/when (it is) done’

• पापम्: sin, evil
• पापम्: Karma (object) / or Predicate-noun
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन

• शत्रु-षड्वर्ग-निर्जिताः: those conquered by the sixfold enemy-group
• शत्रु-षड्वर्ग-निर्जिताः: Karta (subject)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शत्रु (प्रातिपदिक) + षड्वर्ग (प्रातिपदिक; षट्+वर्ग) + निर्जित (कृदन्त, नि√जि धातु)
• Form: बहुवचन, प्रथमा (1), पुंलिङ्ग; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त ‘निर्जित’ विशेषण; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (शत्रुषड्वर्गेण निर्जिताः)

• कथंकारम्: how/why (the ‘how’ factor), the question ‘how’
• कथंकारम्: Karma (object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कथंकार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन

• न: not
• न: Pratiṣedha (negation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-निपात (negation particle)

• लज्जन्ते: are ashamed
• लज्जन्ते: Kriya (verbal action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: लज्ज् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (present), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन; आत्मनेपद

• कुर्वाणाः: doing, performing
• कुर्वाणाः: Karta (agent, participial)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कृ (धातु) + शतृ (कृदन्त)
• Form: शतृ-प्रत्ययान्त वर्तमानकाले कृदन्त; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), बहुवचन; कर्तरि प्रयोगे

• नृपसत्तम: O best of kings
• नृपसत्तम: Sambodhana (address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नृप (प्रातिपदिक) + सत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8), एकवचन; कर्मधारय-समास (श्रेष्ठो नृपः)

Speaker

Lomaśa

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: nṛpasattama (a king)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A sage addresses a king seated in court; behind them, allegorical figures of the six inner enemies tug at a human mind, while the sage points to the heart as the seat of discernment.

Characters & Entities

• Lomaśa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sin arises when the six inner enemies dominate; dharma requires self-control and moral shame.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No tīrtha is named; it is an ethical admonition within a sage–king dialogue.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly; it implies inner discipline (dama) and vigilance over passions.