Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 14

Devanagari script

अर्थसंपद्विमोहाय विमोहो नरकाय च । तस्मादर्थमनर्थं तं मोक्षार्थी दूरतस्त्यजेत्

Transliteration

arthasaṃpadvimohāya vimoho narakāya ca | tasmādarthamanarthaṃ taṃ mokṣārthī dūratastyajet

Translation

ധനസമ്പത്ത് മോഹത്തിനും, മോഹം നരകത്തിനും കാരണമാകുന്നു. അതിനാൽ മോക്ഷാർത്ഥി യഥാർത്ഥത്തിൽ അനർത്ഥമായ ആ ‘ധനം’ ദൂരത്തുനിന്നുതന്നെ ഉപേക്ഷിക്കണം।

Word by Word

• अर्थसंपत्: wealth/prosperity
• अर्थसंपत्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अर्थ (प्रातिपदिक) + संपत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन (nominative singular); षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (‘अर्थस्य संपत्’)

• विमोहाय: for delusion
• विमोहाय: Sampradāna (Purpose/recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विमोह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी-विभक्ति, एकवचन (dative singular)

• विमोहः: delusion
• विमोहः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विमोह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन (nominative singular)

• नरकाय: for hell
• नरकाय: Sampradāna (Purpose/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नरक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी-विभक्ति, एकवचन (dative singular)

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Connector/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (समुच्चय/coordination conjunction)

• तस्मात्: therefore
• तस्मात्: Hetu (Reason marker/हेतु)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययप्रयोग (हेतौ/तस्मात् = therefore); मूलतः पञ्चमी-एकवचन रूपम्, निपातवत्

• अर्थं: wealth
• अर्थं: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (accusative singular)

• अनर्थं: harmful; misfortune
• अनर्थं: Karma (Object complement/कर्म-विशेषण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अनर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (accusative singular); विशेषणवत् (as predicate/object complement)

• तं: that
• तं: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (accusative singular), सर्वनाम

• मोक्षार्थी: one who seeks liberation
• मोक्षार्थी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मोक्ष (प्रातिपदिक) + अर्थिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन (nominative singular); उपपद-तत्पुरुषः (‘मोक्षम् अर्थयते/इच्छति’)

• दूरतः: from far away; completely
• दूरतः: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Manner/degree)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: दूरतः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (क्रियाविशेषण; ‘from afar/at a distance’)

• त्यजेत्: should abandon
• त्यजेत्: Kriyā (Injunctive/should)
• Type: Verb
• Root: त्यज् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन (3rd sg); परस्मैपद

Speaker

An unnamed renunciate/narrator within the Tīrthamāhātmya (didactic discourse)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Teacher-figure pointing away from a pile of coins/jewels that morph into chains or a dark pit (naraka) in symbolic imagery; a seeker turns away toward a path of light.

Characters & Entities

• naraka

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Unchecked pursuit of wealth breeds delusion; liberation requires deliberate distance from attachment to artha.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

This is a general dharma-upadeśa embedded within a Tīrthamāhātmya chapter; it does not name a particular site in this verse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No ritual is prescribed; the ‘practice’ is tyāga—renouncing attachment to wealth for mokṣa.