Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 7

Devanagari script

आनर्त उवाच । अत्याश्चर्यमिदं ब्रह्मन्यत्त्वया परिकीर्तितम् । यल्लक्ष्मीस्तस्य सन्नष्टा चूर्णपत्रस्य भक्षणात्

Transliteration

ānarta uvāca | atyāścaryamidaṃ brahmanyattvayā parikīrtitam | yallakṣmīstasya sannaṣṭā cūrṇapatrasya bhakṣaṇāt

Translation

आनर्त म्हणाला—हे ब्राह्मण! तू सांगितलेले अत्यंत आश्चर्यकारक आहे; चूर्ण केलेल्या पानांच्या मिश्रणाचे भक्षण केल्याने त्याची लक्ष्मी नष्ट झाली.

Word by Word

• आनर्तः: Ānarta (the speaker)
• आनर्तः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आनर्त (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• अति-आश्चर्यम्: very wonderful
• अति-आश्चर्यम्: Karma/Predicate complement (कर्म/विधेय)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आश्चर्य (प्रातिपदिक) + अति (उपसर्ग/अव्यय)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd; Nom/Acc), एकवचन; अव्ययपूर्वपद-प्रयोग (intensified)

• इदम्: this
• इदम्: Visheshya (that which is described)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd; Nom/Acc), एकवचन

• ब्रह्मन्: O Brahmin
• ब्रह्मन्: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, संबोधन (8th/Vocative), एकवचन

• यत्: which
• यत्: Sambandha (relative pronoun)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd; Nom/Acc), एकवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक (relative)

• त्वया: by you
• त्वया: Karana (Instrument/Agentive instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/स्त्री (सर्वनाम), तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन

• परिकीर्तितम्: has been narrated/mentioned
• परिकीर्तितम्: Kriya (verbal predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: परि + कीर्त् (धातु) → परिकीर्तित (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (Past Passive Participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• यत्: that (in that)
• यत्: Sambandha (relative)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक (relative)

• लक्ष्मीः: fortune/prosperity
• लक्ष्मीः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लक्ष्मी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• तस्य: of him/of that
• तस्य: Shashthi-sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• सन्नष्टा: was lost/vanished
• सन्नष्टा: Kriya (predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम् + नश् (धातु) → सन्नष्ट (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि/भूतकृदन्त (PPP), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• चूर्णपत्रस्य: of the powdered leaf
• चूर्णपत्रस्य: Shashthi-sambandha (genitive with bhakṣaṇāt)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चूर्णपत्र (प्रातिपदिक; चूर्ण + पत्र)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (चूर्णस्य पत्रम्)

• भक्षणात्: from eating; due to consumption
• भक्षणात्: Hetu/Apadana (Cause/Source/हेतु/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भक्षण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/Ablative), एकवचन

Speaker

Ānarta

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Brāhmaṇa (contextually Viśvāmitra in the surrounding passage)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A king of Ānarta, astonished, questions a brāhmaṇa-sage about the sudden destruction of prosperity caused by chewing a powdered leaf-mixture; courtly setting with ritual objects and betel paraphernalia hinted subtly.

Characters & Entities

• Ānarta
• Viśvāmitra (addressed)
• Lakṣmī (as prosperity)
• cūrṇa-patra (powdered leaf mixture)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Small acts done improperly can have large karmic consequences; hence dharma emphasizes mindfulness and purity.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The conversation occurs within the Śaṃkhatīrtha-māhātmya context.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Not a prescription here; it raises the issue that leads to explaining prāyaścitta and proper practice.