Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 32

Devanagari script

दैवं वा पैतृकं वापि किं वा कर्म गृहे मम । लोपं गच्छति देवेन्द्र क्रियते वा विधिच्युतम्

Transliteration

daivaṃ vā paitṛkaṃ vāpi kiṃ vā karma gṛhe mama | lopaṃ gacchati devendra kriyate vā vidhicyutam

Translation

हे देवेन्द्र! माझ्या घरी दैवकर्म किंवा पितृकर्म, अथवा कोणतेही कर्तव्य लोप पावत आहे काय, किंवा विधीच्या विरुद्ध केले जात आहे काय?

Word by Word

• दैवम्: (something) divine / relating to gods
• दैवम्: Karma (Object) / Pragṛhya interrogative complement
• Type: Noun
• Root: दैव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (Nom/Acc), एकवचन

• वा: or
• वा: Sambandha (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वा (अव्यय)
• Form: विकल्पार्थक निपात

• पैतृकम्: ancestral / pertaining to the fathers
• पैतृकम्: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पैतृक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• वा: or
• वा: Sambandha (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वा (अव्यय)
• Form: विकल्पार्थक निपात

• अपि: also/even
• अपि: Sambandha (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय/अपेक्षार्थक निपात (particle: 'also/even')

• किम्: what?
• किम्: Karma (Object) / Question focus
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; प्रश्नवाचक

• वा: or
• वा: Sambandha (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वा (अव्यय)
• Form: विकल्पार्थक निपात

• कर्म: rite/action
• कर्म: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कर्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• गृहे: in the house
• गृहे: Adhikaraṇa (Location)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गृह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (Locative), एकवचन

• मम: of me / my
• मम: Sambandha (Possessor)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (Genitive), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• लोपम्: loss/omission
• लोपम्: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लोप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (Accusative), एकवचन

• गच्छति: goes/comes to (i.e., becomes)
• गच्छति: Kriyā (Action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• देवेन्द्र: O Indra, lord of gods
• देवेन्द्र: Sambodhana (Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव + इन्द्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative), एकवचन; कर्मधारयः (देवानाम् इन्द्रः)

• क्रियते: is done/performed
• क्रियते: Kriyā (Action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद; कर्मणि प्रयोग (passive)

• वा: or
• वा: Sambandha (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वा (अव्यय)
• Form: विकल्पार्थक निपात

• विधिच्युतम्: deviating from rule/ritual
• विधिच्युतम्: Kriyā-viśeṣaṇa (Predicate adjective)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: विधि + च्युत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (विधेः च्युतम्)

Speaker

King Daśaratha (addressing Indra)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The king addresses Indra with folded hands, asking whether divine or ancestral rites have been neglected; ritual implements—water pot, darbha, ladles—appear as symbolic cues in the court.

Characters & Entities

• Indra (Devendra)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

A householder-king should be vigilant that both divine worship and ancestral obligations are performed according to vidhi (scriptural rule), without omission.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse occurs within a Tīrthamāhātmya narrative context, but this specific line focuses on dharmic correctness rather than naming a particular tīrtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

It raises the concern of possible lapse or deviation in daiva and paitṛka rites (deva-yajña and pitṛ-yajña), implying the need for correct, rule-bound performance.