Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 39

Devanagari script

कच्चिन्मंदिरपृष्ठे त्वं न धत्से भिन्नभाजनम् । उच्छिष्टं वा जनैस्त्यक्तमपि कार्योपकारकम्

Transliteration

kaccinmaṃdirapṛṣṭhe tvaṃ na dhatse bhinnabhājanam | ucchiṣṭaṃ vā janaistyaktamapi kāryopakārakam

Translation

നീ ക്ഷേത്രത്തിന്റെ പിന്നിൽ പൊട്ടിയ പാത്രങ്ങളെയോ, ആളുകൾ ഉപേക്ഷിച്ച ഉച്ഛിഷ്ടത്തെയോ—അത് ഉപകാരപ്രദമെന്നു തോന്നിയാലും—സൂക്ഷിക്കുന്നത് ഒഴിവാക്കുമോ?

Word by Word

• कच्चित्: is it the case that…? (I hope)
• कच्चित्: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: कच्चित् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (प्रश्नार्थक निपात/interrogative particle)

• मन्दिर-पृष्ठे: on/at the back of the house/temple
• मन्दिर-पृष्ठे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मन्दिर (प्रातिपदिक) + पृष्ठ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी विभक्ति, एकवचन (locative singular); समासः षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (मन्दिरस्य पृष्ठे)

• त्वम्: you
• त्वम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तमपुरुष-सर्वनाम, प्रथमा विभक्ति, एकवचन (pronoun, nominative singular)

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (निषेध/negation particle)

• धत्से: you place, you keep
• धत्से: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √धा (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (वर्तमान/present), मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद (2nd person singular)

• भिन्न-भाजनम्: a broken vessel
• भिन्न-भाजनम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भिन्न (प्रातिपदिक; √भिद् (धातु) से कृदन्त, भूतकृदन्त/PPP) + भाजन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया विभक्ति, एकवचन (neuter accusative singular); समासः कर्मधारयः (भिन्नं भाजनम्)

• उच्छिष्टम्: leftover food, leavings
• उच्छिष्टम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: उच्छिष्ट (प्रातिपदिक; √शिष्/√शेष् (धातु) से कृदन्त; अर्थः ‘अवशिष्ट/भुक्तशेष’)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया विभक्ति, एकवचन (neuter nominative/accusative singular)

• वा: or
• वा: Sambandha (Disjunction/विकल्प)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (विकल्प/alternative particle)

• जनैः: by people
• जनैः: Karana (Agentive instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया विभक्ति, बहुवचन (instrumental plural)

• त्यक्तम्: discarded
• त्यक्तम्: Karma (Object qualifier/कर्म-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: त्यक्त (प्रातिपदिक; √त्यज् (धातु) से कृदन्त, भूतकृदन्त/PPP)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया विभक्ति, एकवचन (neuter nominative/accusative singular); विशेषण (qualifying ucchiṣṭam)

• अपि: even, also
• अपि: Sambandha (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (समुच्चय/अवधारण/particle: ‘even/also’)

• कार्य-उपकारकम्: useful for some purpose
• कार्य-उपकारकम्: Karma (Object complement/कर्म-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कार्य (प्रातिपदिक) + उपकारक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया विभक्ति, एकवचन (neuter nominative/accusative singular); समासः तत्पुरुषः (कार्यस्य उपकारकः)

Speaker

Unspecified (Nāgarakhaṇḍa Tīrthamāhātmya didactic voice)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Behind a grand temple, attendants clean the area; a woman is cautioned not to keep broken pots or leftover food there. The scene contrasts a clean, lamp-lit sanctum side with a service alley being purified.

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred spaces require śauca (purity/cleanliness); convenience must not override reverence for the temple environment.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse speaks generally about temple precincts; no named tīrtha is specified.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A purity rule: do not store broken utensils or leftovers behind/near the temple, even if they seem practically useful.