Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 74

Devanagari script

अथ तं पुरुषं दृष्ट्वा कुष्ठव्याधिसमावृतम् । विवस्त्रां कन्यकां तां च सर्वास्ता विस्मयान्विताः

Transliteration

atha taṃ puruṣaṃ dṛṣṭvā kuṣṭhavyādhisamāvṛtam | vivastrāṃ kanyakāṃ tāṃ ca sarvāstā vismayānvitāḥ

Translation

അപ്പോൾ കുഷ്ഠരോഗം ബാധിച്ച ആ പുരുഷനെയും, വസ്ത്രരഹിതയായ ആ കന്യകയെയും കണ്ടപ്പോൾ, അവർ എല്ലാവരും വിസ്മയത്തിൽ മുങ്ങി.

Word by Word

• अथ: then
• अथ: Sambandha (Discourse connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अथ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अनन्तरार्थक (then/thereupon)

• तम्: that (him)
• तम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन (masc acc sg demonstrative)

• पुरुषम्: man, person
• पुरुषम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुरुष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन (masc acc sg)

• दृष्ट्वा: having seen
• दृष्ट्वा: Pūrvakāla-kriyā (Prior action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √दृश् (दर्शने)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (gerund/absolutive)

• कुष्ठव्याधिसमावृतम्: covered/afflicted with leprosy-disease
• कुष्ठव्याधिसमावृतम्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कुष्ठ + व्याधि + समावृत (कृदन्त; सम्+आ+√वृ (वरणे) क्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त विशेषणम् (masc acc sg; past participle)

• विवस्त्राम्: unclothed, naked
• विवस्त्राम्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वि + वस्त्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; नञ्-समर्थक (vi- as privative) विशेषणम् (fem acc sg)

• कन्यकाम्: girl, maiden
• कन्यकाम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कन्यका (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन (fem acc sg)

• ताम्: that (her)
• ताम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन (fem acc sg demonstrative)

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Coordination)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयार्थक (conjunction)

• सर्वाः: all
• सर्वाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन (fem nom pl)

• ताः: those (women)
• ताः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन (fem nom pl demonstrative)

• विस्मयान्विताः: filled with astonishment
• विस्मयान्विताः: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: विस्मय + अन्वित (कृदन्त; अनु+√इ (गत्यर्थे) क्त)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त विशेषणम् (fem nom pl)

Speaker

Narrator (contextually Sūta in Purāṇic frame; not explicit in this verse)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A group beholds a leprosy-afflicted man and an unclothed maiden; their faces register astonishment, while the pair stands at the center of a charged moral tableau.

Characters & Entities

• Afflicted man (kuṣṭha-vyādhi)
• Maiden (kanyakā)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Māhātmya narratives often introduce suffering and shock to reveal the hidden workings of karma and the possibility of divine grace.

Which specific holy site (Tīrtha) is glorified here?

Not specified in this verse; it is part of Nāgarakhaṇḍa’s Tīrthamāhātmya chapter.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None in this śloka; it describes an extraordinary sight that prompts further dialogue.