Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 84

Devanagari script

दिष्ट्या मे मुनिना तेन दत्तः शापो महात्मना । कथं स्यादन्यथा प्राप्तिः क्षेत्रस्यास्य सुशोभने

Transliteration

diṣṭyā me muninā tena dattaḥ śāpo mahātmanā | kathaṃ syādanyathā prāptiḥ kṣetrasyāsya suśobhane

Translation

ഭാഗ്യവശാൽ ആ മഹാത്മ മুনি എനിക്ക് ശാപം നൽകിയിരിക്കുന്നു. ഓ സുന്ദരീ, അല്ലെങ്കിൽ ഈ ശോഭന ക്ഷേത്രം എനിക്ക് എങ്ങനെ ലഭിക്കുമായിരുന്നു?

Word by Word

• दिष्ट्या: by good fortune
• दिष्ट्या: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दिष्टि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे, तृतीया-एकवचनम् (Instr. sg.); भावे—‘भाग्येन/सौभाग्येन’

• मे: for me; of me
• मे: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अहम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-एकवचनम् (Gen. sg.)

• मुनिना: by the sage
• मुनिना: Karta (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मुनि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, तृतीया-एकवचनम् (Instr. sg.)

• तेन: by that (one)
• तेन: Karta (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, तृतीया-एकवचनम् (Instr. sg.); विशेषणम्

• दत्तः: given
• दत्तः: None
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दा (धातु) → दत्त (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (PPP); पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-एकवचनम् (Nom. sg.); ‘given’

• शापः: curse
• शापः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शाप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-एकवचनम् (Nom. sg.)

• महात्मना: by the great-souled (one)
• महात्मना: Karta (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महात्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, तृतीया-एकवचनम् (Instr. sg.); विशेषणम् (मुनि-विशेषणम्)

• कथम्: how?
• कथम्: None
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: कथम् (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रश्नार्थक-अव्ययम् (interrogative adverb)

• स्यात्: could be; would be
• स्यात्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुषः (3rd person), एकवचनम्; परस्मैपदम्

• अन्यथा: otherwise
• अन्यथा: None
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अन्यथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्ययम् (adverb)

• प्राप्तिः: attainment; obtaining
• प्राप्तिः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्राप्ति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-एकवचनम् (Nom. sg.)

• क्षेत्रस्य: of the holy site
• क्षेत्रस्य: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्षेत्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, षष्ठी-एकवचनम् (Gen. sg.)

• अस्य: of this
• अस्य: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसकलिङ्गे, षष्ठी-एकवचनम् (Gen. sg.); विशेषणम्

• सुशोभने: O very beautiful one
• सुशोभने: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सु+शोभन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे, सम्बोधन-एकवचनम् (Voc. sg.); ‘सुशोभना’ = very beautiful (address)

Speaker

Mahīpāla (the king)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Nandinī

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The king speaks with astonishment, palms open, as if realizing the hidden mercy in a sage’s curse; behind him, a radiant sacred landscape/temple hints at the ‘suśobhana kṣetra’.

Characters & Entities

• Nandinī
• a Mahātmā Muni (unnamed sage)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Even seeming misfortune (a curse) can become the hidden cause for reaching a holy place and spiritual uplift.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The ‘kṣetra’ praised in this chapter is the Kalaśeśvara sacred area described in the Tīrthamāhātmya.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No specific rite is stated here; the verse frames the king’s arrival as providential.