Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 6

Devanagari script

धिग्धिक्पापसमाचार होमार्थं यद्गुदं धृतम् । तत्त्वया दूषितं लौल्याद्यज्ञविघ्नकरं कृतम्

Transliteration

dhigdhikpāpasamācāra homārthaṃ yadgudaṃ dhṛtam | tattvayā dūṣitaṃ laulyādyajñavighnakaraṃ kṛtam

Translation

“Malulah, malulah—Wahai pelaku perbuatan berdosa! Gula melaka yang disimpan untuk persembahan api telah dicemari olehmu kerana tamak, dan kamu telah menjadikannya penghalang kepada pengorbanan.”

Word by Word

• dhik: shame!
• dhik: Sambodhana/Exclamation (उद्गार)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: dhik (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, निन्दार्थक निपात (interjection of censure)

• dhik: shame!
• dhik: Sambodhana/Exclamation (उद्गार)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: dhik (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, निन्दार्थक निपात (repetition for emphasis)

• pāpa-samācāra: O one of sinful conduct
• pāpa-samācāra: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन/Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pāpa (प्रातिपदिक) + samācāra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय (पापः समाचारः यस्य/पापसमाचारः), पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th/Vocative), एकवचन

• homa-artham: for the homa-rite
• homa-artham: Prayojana (प्रयोजन/Purpose)
• Type: Noun
• Root: homa (प्रातिपदिक) + artha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: चतुर्थी-तत्पुरुष/उद्देश्यवाचक (होमस्य अर्थः), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘for the purpose of homa’

• yat: which
• yat: Karma-sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक (relative pronoun: ‘which’)

• gudaṃ: the rectum/anus
• gudaṃ: Karma (कर्म; ‘that which was taken’)
• Type: Noun
• Root: guda (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; (यद्-सम्बद्ध)

• dhṛtam: taken/held
• dhṛtam: Karma-samānādhikaraṇa (कर्मविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dhṛ (धातु) + dhṛta (कृदन्त/क्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त, नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘taken/held’

• tat: that
• tat: Sambandha/Emphasis (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘that’ (emphatic)

• tvayā: by you
• tvayā: Kartr̥ (कर्ता/Agent in passive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tvam (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन; ‘by you’

• dūṣitam: defiled
• dūṣitam: Karma-samānādhikaraṇa (कर्मविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dūṣ (धातु) + dūṣita (कृदन्त/क्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त, नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘defiled’

• laulyāt: out of greed
• laulyāt: Hetu (हेतु/Cause)
• Type: Noun
• Root: laulya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/Ablative), एकवचन; हेत्वर्थ (cause): ‘from greed’

• yajña-vighna-karam: causing hindrance to the sacrifice
• yajña-vighna-karam: Karma-samānādhikaraṇa (कर्मविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: yajña (प्रातिपदिक) + vighna (प्रातिपदिक) + kara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (यज्ञस्य विघ्नः; तं करोति इति), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘causing obstruction to sacrifice’

• kṛtam: made
• kṛtam: Karma-samānādhikaraṇa (कर्मविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kṛ (धातु) + kṛta (कृदन्त/क्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त, नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘made/done’

Speaker

prasthātā (officiating priest)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The priest points toward the defiled offering set aside for homa, condemning the youth’s greed; ritual vessels, ladles, and the fire altar stand as silent witnesses to the breach.

Characters & Entities

• homa
• yajña
• guda (jaggery)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Greed corrupts sacred duty; even small acts of impurity can disrupt dharmic worship and its intended merit.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No named tīrtha appears in this verse; it supports the broader tīrtha-māhātmya narrative by stressing correct ritual conduct.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Offerings reserved for homa must remain uncontaminated; defiling them is treated as a serious ritual fault (yajña-vighna).