Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 37

Devanagari script

धर्मार्थमपि विप्राणां संचयोऽर्थस्य गर्हितः । प्रक्षालनाद्धि पंकस्य दूरादस्पर्शनं वरम्

Transliteration

dharmārthamapi viprāṇāṃ saṃcayo'rthasya garhitaḥ | prakṣālanāddhi paṃkasya dūrādasparśanaṃ varam

Translation

ധർമ്മത്തിനായാലും ബ്രാഹ്മണരുടെ ധനസഞ്ചയം നിന്ദ്യമാണ്. ചെളി കഴുകുന്നതിലും നല്ലത് ദൂരത്തിൽ നിന്ന് അതിനെ സ്പർശിക്കാതിരിയ്ക്കലാണ്.

Word by Word

• धर्मार्थम्: righteous purpose (for dharma)
• धर्मार्थम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धर्म (प्रातिपदिक) + अर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (कर्म), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (धर्मस्य अर्थः)

• अपि: even/also
• अपि: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात (emphatic/also/even)

• विप्राणाम्: of the brāhmaṇas
• विप्राणाम्: Shashthi-Sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठी-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विप्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (सम्बन्ध), बहुवचन

• संचयः: accumulation
• संचयः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: संचय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (कर्ता/विषय), एकवचन

• अर्थस्य: of wealth
• अर्थस्य: Shashthi-Sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठी-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (सम्बन्ध), एकवचन

• गर्हितः: blameworthy
• गर्हितः: Visheshana (Adjectival predicate/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: गर्हित (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; √गर्ह् (धातु) + क्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle), विशेषणम् (संचयः)

• प्रक्षालनात्: than washing off
• प्रक्षालनात्: Apadana (Ablative source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रक्षालन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (अपादान), एकवचन

• हि: indeed
• हि: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात (indeed/for)

• पंकस्य: of mud
• पंकस्य: Shashthi-Sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठी-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पंक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (सम्बन्ध), एकवचन

• दूरात्: from a distance
• दूरात्: Adhikarana (Locative sense/अधिकरण-अर्थ)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: दूर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव-प्रयोगवत्; पञ्चमी-अर्थे अव्यय (from afar)

• अस्पर्शनम्: not touching (avoidance of contact)
• अस्पर्शनम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्पर्शन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (कर्ता/विषय), एकवचन

• वरम्: better
• वरम्: Visheshana (Predicate adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विधेय-विशेषणम् (अस्पर्शनम्)

Speaker

Atri (contextual)

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: a muni / interlocutor in the tīrtha-māhātmya dialogue (unspecified here)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A didactic scene: a sage instructs a brāhmaṇa/householder near a tīrtha; in the foreground a traveler avoids a muddy patch while another washes mud from his feet—symbolizing preventive purity over remedial cleansing.

Characters & Entities

• vipra (brāhmaṇa)
• dharma
• artha (wealth)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Aparigraha (non-hoarding) protects spiritual purity; avoiding temptation is superior to later repentance.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse reinforces the tirtha discipline of purity and restraint; it does not name a particular location.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No formal rite; it prescribes ethical restraint—avoid accumulation, especially for religious specialists.