Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 32

Devanagari script

तत्कथं तस्य गृह्णीमो दानं पापरतस्य च । यथाऽन्ये नागराः सर्वे लोभेन महतान्विताः

Transliteration

tatkathaṃ tasya gṛhṇīmo dānaṃ pāparatasya ca | yathā'nye nāgarāḥ sarve lobhena mahatānvitāḥ

Translation

അപ്പോൾ പാപത്തിൽ ആസക്തനായ അവന്റെ ദാനം ഞങ്ങൾ എങ്ങനെ സ്വീകരിക്കും? മറ്റു നഗരവാസികളൊക്കെയും മഹാലോഭത്തിൽ മുങ്ങിയിരിക്കുന്നുവല്ലോ।

Word by Word

• तत्: then/that
• तत्: Sambandha (Discourse/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया एकवचन; अव्यक्त-प्रयोग (discourse deictic: 'then/that')

• कथम्: how?
• कथम्: Sambandha (Interrogative/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: कथम् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रश्नवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (interrogative adverb)

• तस्य: of him
• तस्य: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसक; षष्ठी एकवचन; सम्बन्ध

• गृह्णीमः: do we accept
• गृह्णीमः: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √ग्रह् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमानकाल); उत्तमपुरुष; बहुवचन; परस्मैपद

• दानम्: gift
• दानम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया एकवचन

• पापरतस्य: of one devoted to sin
• पापरतस्य: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पाप-रत (प्रातिपदिक; पाप + रत)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; षष्ठी एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifying तस्य)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Conjunction/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयार्थक (conjunction)

• यथा: as, just as
• यथा: Sambandha (Comparative/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; उपमान/प्रकारवाचक (comparative/manner)

• अन्ये: others
• अन्ये: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अन्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा बहुवचन

• नागराः: citizens/townsmen
• नागराः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नागर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा बहुवचन

• सर्वे: all
• सर्वे: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा बहुवचन; विशेषण (agreeing with नागराः)

• लोभेन: by greed
• लोभेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लोभ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; तृतीया एकवचन; करण (instrumental of means)

• महता: great
• महता: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; तृतीया एकवचन; विशेषण (agreeing with लोभेन: 'with great')

• अन्विताः: endowed with, possessed of
• अन्विताः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अन्वित (कृदन्त; √इ (धातु) + क्त; उपसर्ग अनु)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा बहुवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त; 'endowed/possessed'

Speaker

Unnamed (addressing revered brāhmaṇas; immediately followed by Indra’s reply in v.33)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Hāṭakeśvara (contextual)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Sages confer among themselves, turning away from a sinful king’s gift; behind them, townspeople bargain and hoard, symbolizing pervasive greed.

Characters & Entities

• Nāgarāḥ

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

It raises a dharma-question: purity of intention and the moral status of the donor matter when receiving dāna.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The chapter context concerns the Hāṭakeśvara sacred field (kṣetra) within Nāgarakhaṇḍa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

The verse concerns dāna (charitable giving/receiving) and its ethical acceptability.