Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 3

Devanagari script

नूनमेतेन या स्त्रीणां कृता निंदा महात्मना । दूषितं ब्रह्मचर्यं यच्छांडिलीं समवेक्ष्य च

Transliteration

nūnametena yā strīṇāṃ kṛtā niṃdā mahātmanā | dūṣitaṃ brahmacaryaṃ yacchāṃḍilīṃ samavekṣya ca

Translation

നിശ്ചയം ആ മഹാത്മാവ് സ്ത്രീകളെ നിന്ദിച്ചു; ശാണ്ഡിലിയെ നോക്കി ബ്രഹ്മചര്യധർമ്മം മലിനമാക്കിയതുകൊണ്ടുതന്നെ ഇതു സംഭവിച്ചു.

Word by Word

• नूनम्: surely
• नूनम्: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial modifier)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: nūnam (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निश्चयार्थक (adverb of certainty)

• एतेन: by this (one)
• एतेन: Karana (Instrument/Agent-instrument)
• Type: Noun
• Root: etad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), एकवचन (Singular)

• या: which
• या: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular); सम्बन्धक (relative pronoun)

• स्त्रीणाम्: of women
• स्त्रीणाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: strī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/6th), बहुवचन (Plural)

• कृता: done/made
• कृता: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु) + कृत (क्त-प्रत्यय)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular); क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle)

• निन्दा: censure/slander
• निन्दा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: niṃdā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• महात्मना: by the great-souled one
• महात्मना: Kartr-karana (Agent expressed instrumentally)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahātman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), एकवचन (Singular)

• दूषितम्: tainted/defiled
• दूषितम्: Karma (Predicate qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दूष् (धातु) + दूषित (क्त-प्रत्यय)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Nom./Acc.), एकवचन (Singular); क्त-प्रत्ययान्त

• ब्रह्मचर्यम्: brahmacarya (celibate discipline)
• ब्रह्मचर्यम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brahma + carya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Nom./Acc.), एकवचन (Singular)

• यत्: which
• यत्: Sambandha (Relative link)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Nom./Acc.), एकवचन (Singular); सम्बन्धक (relative)

• शाण्डिलीम्: Śāṇḍilī
• शाण्डिलीम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śāṃḍilī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular)

• समवेक्ष्य: having looked at/observed
• समवेक्ष्य: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम् + अव + ईक्ष् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय-भावकृदन्त (Gerund/Absolutive), ‘having observed’

• च: and
• च: Connector
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय (conjunction)

Speaker

Puṇḍarīkākṣa (Viṣṇu) (inferred from continued reflection)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Ṛṣis (implied)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A reflective moment where the cause is diagnosed: the ‘fall of wings’ is linked to a moral lapse—disparaging women and compromising the spirit of celibacy in the presence of Śāṇḍilī.

Characters & Entities

• Puṇḍarīkākṣa (Viṣṇu)
• Śāṇḍilī

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Spiritual discipline is harmed by contempt and wrongful speech; purity of brahmacarya includes purity of attitude and words.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

This is within a Tīrthamāhātmya framework, but the verse itself emphasizes dharmic causality rather than a named location.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; the verse presents moral reasoning about offense and discipline.