Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 113

Devanagari script

वर्धमाने पुरे पूर्वमासीदंत्यजजातिजः । चण्डालः कुंभकोनाम निर्दयः पापकर्मकृत्

Transliteration

vardhamāne pure pūrvamāsīdaṃtyajajātijaḥ | caṇḍālaḥ kuṃbhakonāma nirdayaḥ pāpakarmakṛt

Translation

മുമ്പ് വർധമാന നഗരത്തിൽ അന്ത്യജജാതിയിൽ ജനിച്ച ‘കുംഭക’ എന്ന ചണ്ഡാലൻ ഉണ്ടായിരുന്നു; അവൻ നിർദയനും പാപകർമ്മങ്ങളിൽ ഏർപ്പെട്ടവനും ആയിരുന്നു।

Word by Word

• वर्धमाने: in Vardhamāna (city)
• वर्धमाने: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वर्धमान (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक, √वृध्, शतृ)
• Form: वर्तमानकाले कृदन्त (शतृ), नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुंलिङ्ग?; सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘वर्धमाने’ (locative) = in (the) Vardhamāna (city)

• पुरे: in the city
• पुरे: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• पूर्वम्: formerly
• पूर्वम्: Kala (Time/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पूर्वम् (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (adverb of time)

• आसीत्: there was
• आसीत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √अस् (धातु)
• Form: लङ्-लकार (अनद्यतनभूत/Imperfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• अन्त्यज-जातिजः: born of an outcaste (antyaja)
• अन्त्यज-जातिजः: Karta (Predicate qualifier/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अन्त्यज (प्रातिपदिक) + जातिज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समास: ‘अन्त्यजस्य जातिजः’ = born in the outcaste group

• चण्डालः: a caṇḍāla
• चण्डालः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चण्डाल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• कुम्भकः: Kumbhaka
• कुम्भकः: Karta (Apposition/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कुम्भक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• नाम: by name
• नाम: Sambandha (Naming/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नाम (अव्यय)
• Form: नाम-शब्दः (indeclinable, नामनिर्देश/quotative)

• निर्दयः: merciless
• निर्दयः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: निर्दय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• पाप-कर्म-कृत्: doer of sinful acts
• पाप-कर्म-कृत्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पाप (प्रातिपदिक) + कर्म (प्रातिपदिक) + कृत् (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक, √कृ, क्विप्)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समास: ‘पापं कर्म करोति’ = doer of sinful deeds

Speaker

Viśvāmitra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: The King

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A harsh Caṇḍāla named Kumbhaka lives in Vardhamāna, depicted as cruel and engaged in sinful acts—an ethical low point before later karmic turns.

Characters & Entities

• Viśvāmitra
• Vardhamāna (city)
• Kumbhaka
• Caṇḍāla

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The narrative frames later outcomes through character and conduct (pāpakarma), stressing moral causality.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The city of Vardhamāna is named as the setting within the Nāgarakhaṇḍa Tīrthamāhātmya narrative.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it establishes the setting and moral profile of a key figure.