Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 28

Devanagari script

वक्तुं तद्विषये यच्च प्रोच्यते कामपीडितैः । अधोमुखाऽलिखद्भूमिमंगुष्ठेन स्थिता चिरम्

Transliteration

vaktuṃ tadviṣaye yacca procyate kāmapīḍitaiḥ | adhomukhā'likhadbhūmimaṃguṣṭhena sthitā ciram

Translation

କାମପୀଡିତମାନେ ସେ ବିଷୟରେ ଯାହା କିଛି କହୁଥିଲେ, ତାହା ଶୁଣି ସେ ମୁହଁ ନମାଇ ଦୀର୍ଘ ସମୟ ଦାଁଡ଼ି ରହି, ଅଙ୍ଗୁଠାରେ ଭୂମିରେ ରେଖା ଆଙ୍କୁଥିଲା।

Word by Word

• vaktum: to speak
• vaktum: Prayojana (प्रयोजन/उद्देश्य)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √vac (धातु) + tumun (कृत्)
• Form: तुमुनन्त (infinitive), अव्ययवत्; प्रयोजन (to speak)

• tadviṣaye: in that matter/topic
• tadviṣaye: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad-viṣaya (प्रातिपदिक; tad + viṣaya)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समास

• yat: what/that which
• yat: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; सम्बन्धक (relative pronoun)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (conjunction)

• procyate: is said, is spoken
• procyate: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra-√vac (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), आत्मनेपद, प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन; कर्मणि-प्रयोग (passive)

• kāmapīḍitaiḥ: by those afflicted by desire
• kāmapīḍitaiḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kāma-pīḍita (प्रातिपदिक; kāma + pīḍita)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; तत्पुरुष-समास; कर्तृ-करण (agent in passive)

• adhomukhā: face down, with face lowered
• adhomukhā: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: adhas-mukha (प्रातिपदिक; adhas + mukha)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्मधारय-समास (face-down)

• alikhad: scratching/drawing
• alikhad: Kriyā (अनुकार्य-क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: a-√likh (धातु) + śatṛ (कृत्)
• Form: वर्तमानकृदन्त (शतृ), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; क्रियाविशेषण-भावे (while scratching/writing)

• bhūmim: the ground
• bhūmim: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhūmi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• aṃguṣṭhena: with (her) thumb
• aṃguṣṭhena: Karaṇa (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: aṃguṣṭha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• sthitā: stood, remained
• sthitā: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: √sthā (धातु) + kta (कृत्)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; स्थित-भाव (having stood/remaining)

• ciram: for a long time
• ciram: Kālādhi karaṇa (कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: cira (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (adverb of time)

Speaker

Narrator (within Nāgara-khaṇḍa Tīrthamāhātmya frame; exact speaker not in snippet)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A group speaks suggestively; the woman stands apart, face lowered, silently tracing lines on the earth with her thumb—time stretching in stillness.

Characters & Entities

• Kāma (personified desire)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Unchecked desire leads to agitation and shame; dharma begins with inner restraint and humility.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The broader passage belongs to a tīrtha-māhātmya connected with Candrakūpikā and Kāmeśvara, though this verse itself is narrative description.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None in this verse; it sets the emotional and ethical tone for the tīrtha narrative.