Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 96

Devanagari script

त्वं धर्मनामासि कथं कितवाय प्रदत्तवान् । मम राज्यविनाशाय कृतमस्ति त्वयाऽधुना

Transliteration

tvaṃ dharmanāmāsi kathaṃ kitavāya pradattavān | mama rājyavināśāya kṛtamasti tvayā'dhunā

Translation

നീ ‘ധർമ്മ’ എന്ന നാമത്തിൽ പ്രസിദ്ധൻ; എങ്കിൽ എങ്ങനെ ഒരു ചൂതക്കാരന് എന്റെ പദവി നൽകി? ഇതുകൊണ്ടുതന്നെ ഇപ്പോൾ എന്റെ രാജ്യനാശം നിനക്കാൽ സംഭവിച്ചു।

Word by Word

• त्वम्: you
• त्वम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम (pronoun), पुंलिङ्गे (masc. usage), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

• धर्म-नाम: (one) named ‘Dharma’ / having the name Dharma
• धर्म-नाम: Karmadharaya/Predicate nominal (विधेय)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धर्म (प्रातिपदिक) + नामन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (Tatpurusha: ‘dharma’ as qualifier of ‘name’), नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

• असि: are
• असि: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), मध्यम-पुरुष (2nd person), एकवचन (Singular), परस्मैपद

• कथम्: how
• कथम्: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial modifier)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: कथम् (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रश्न-अव्यय (interrogative adverb)

• कितवाय: to the gambler/cheat
• कितवाय: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कितव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), चतुर्थी-विभक्ति (4th/Dative), एकवचन (Singular)

• प्रदत्तवान्: (you) have given
• प्रदत्तवान्: Karta (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र-दा (धातु) + क्तवत् (कृदन्त-प्रत्यय)
• Form: क्तवत्-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (past active participle), पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन (Singular); कर्तरि प्रयोग (agentive)

• मम: my
• मम: Shashthi-sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम (pronoun), षष्ठी-विभक्ति (6th/Genitive), एकवचन (Singular)

• राज्य-विनाशाय: for the destruction of (my) kingdom
• राज्य-विनाशाय: Prayojana (Purpose/प्रयोजन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: राज्य (प्रातिपदिक) + विनाश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (Tatpurusha), पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), चतुर्थी-विभक्ति (4th/Dative), एकवचन (Singular); प्रयोजनार्थे (purpose)

• कृतम्: done
• कृतम्: Karma/Phrase predicate (कर्म/विधेय)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त-प्रत्यय)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

• अस्ति: is
• अस्ति: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular), परस्मैपद

• त्वया: by you
• त्वया: Karana (Instrument/Agent in passive; करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम (pronoun), तृतीया-विभक्ति (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन (Singular)

• अधुना: now
• अधुना: Kāla-adhikaraṇa (Time/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अधुना (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (temporal adverb)

Speaker

Indra (Śakra)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kedāra (Kedāranātha)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Indra (Śakra), distressed at the ruin of his sovereignty, confronts Dharma/Yama with a pointed accusation about granting power to an unworthy gambler; courtly setting with divine regalia dimmed by crisis.

Characters & Entities

• Indra
• Dharma/Yama
• Kitava (the gambler/cheat)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Authority must be aligned with worthiness and dharma; giving power to the unrighteous leads to social and cosmic disorder.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

None in this verse; it is a dharma-judicial exchange within Kedāra-khaṇḍa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None.