Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 53

Devanagari script

कामानभिलषन्मोहान्न नरः सुखमाप्नुयात् । श्येनालयतरुच्छायां व्रजन्निव कपिञ्जलः

Transliteration

kāmānabhilaṣanmohānna naraḥ sukhamāpnuyāt | śyenālayatarucchāyāṃ vrajanniva kapiñjalaḥ

Translation

കാമലാലസയിൽ മോഹിതനായ മനുഷ്യൻ സുഖം പ്രാപിക്കുകയില്ല; പരുന്തിന്റെ വാസമുള്ള വൃക്ഷത്തിന്റെ നിഴലിൽ വിശ്രമിക്കാൻ പോകുന്ന കപിഞ്ചലപക്ഷിയെപ്പോലെ।

Word by Word

• kāmān: desires
• kāmān: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kāma (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd case), बहुवचन; कर्म (object)

• abhilaṣan: desiring
• abhilaṣan: Karta (Agent qualifier/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: abhilaṣ (धातु)
• Form: वर्तमान-कृदन्त (शतृ/Present active participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; उपसर्ग: अभि-

• mohāt: from delusion
• mohāt: Apadana (Cause/Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: moha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th case), एकवचन; हेतौ/अपादान (cause/ablative)

• na: not
• na: Sambandha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक-अव्यय

• naraḥ: a man
• naraḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st case), एकवचन; कर्ता

• sukham: happiness
• sukham: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sukha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd case), एकवचन; कर्म

• āpnuyāt: would obtain
• āpnuyāt: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: āp (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; उपसर्ग: आ-

• śyena-ālaya-taru-chāyām: the shade of a tree at an eagle’s abode
• śyena-ālaya-taru-chāyām: Karma (Goal/Place as object of motion/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śyena (प्रातिपदिक) + ālaya (प्रातिपदिक) + taru (प्रातिपदिक) + chāyā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd case), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (श्येनस्य आलयः = श्येनालयः; श्येनालयस्य तरोः छाया = श्येनालयतरुच्छाया)

• vrajan: going
• vrajan: Karta (Agent qualifier/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vraj (धातु)
• Form: वर्तमान-कृदन्त (शतृ/Present active participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• iva: as if/like
• iva: Sambandha (Comparison marker/उपमा)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iva (अव्यय)
• Form: उपमावाचक-अव्यय

• kapiñjalaḥ: a partridge
• kapiñjalaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kapiñjala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st case), एकवचन; कर्ता (उपमेय)

Speaker

Narrative voice (contextual; speaker not explicit in this verse)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: (Contextual) king/pilgrim audience

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A small ground-bird (kapinjala/francolin) walks toward the cool shade of a tree; above, unseen at first, a hawk’s nest and the hawk’s sharp gaze signal imminent danger—an allegory of pleasure-seeking leading to harm.

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Craving (kāma) born of delusion (moha) leads one into danger and unrest; true sukha comes from restraint and discernment.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

This verse gives a general dharma-teaching within the Tīrthamāhātmya setting; no single tīrtha-name is stated in the shloka itself.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No direct ritual is prescribed here; it is an ethical maxim encouraging detachment from harmful desire.