Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 67

Devanagari script

तस्माद्दोषादिमे राजन्गुणा यद्यपि कीर्तिताः । प्रेतानां यान्समाश्रित्य काचित्सिद्धिर्न जायते

Transliteration

tasmāddoṣādime rājanguṇā yadyapi kīrtitāḥ | pretānāṃ yānsamāśritya kācitsiddhirna jāyate

Translation

ଏହି ଦୋଷ ହେତୁ, ହେ ରାଜନ, ଯଦିଓ ଏଗୁଡ଼ିକୁ ‘ଗୁଣ’ ବୋଲି କୀର୍ତ୍ତିତ କରାଯାଏ, ତଥାପି ଯେ ପ୍ରେତମାନେ ଏହାକୁ ଆଶ୍ରୟ କରନ୍ତି ସେମାନଙ୍କର କୌଣସି ସତ୍ୟ ସିଦ୍ଧି ଜନ୍ମ ନେଉ ନାହିଁ।

Word by Word

• tasmāt: therefore
• tasmāt: Sambandha (Inference marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tasmāt (तस्मात्-अव्यय/तद्-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Hetu/niṣkarṣa-avyaya (ablatival indeclinable: therefore/from that)

• doṣāt: from (this) fault
• doṣāt: Apādāna (Source/Cause/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: doṣa (दोष-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Pumliṅga, Pañcamī (5th), Ekavacana; hetu (ablative of cause)

• ime: these
• ime: Viśeṣaṇa (Determiner)
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: idam (इदम्-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Pumliṅga, Prathamā (1st), Bahuvacana

• rājan: O king
• rājan: Sambodhana (Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rājan (राजन्-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Pumliṅga, Sambodhana (Vocative), Ekavacana

• guṇāḥ: qualities/advantages
• guṇāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: guṇa (गुण-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Pumliṅga, Prathamā (1st), Bahuvacana

• yadi: if
• yadi: Sambandha (Condition marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yadi (यदि-अव्यय)
• Form: Śart-avyaya (conditional particle: if)

• api: even though
• api: Sambandha (Concessive particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अपि-अव्यय)
• Form: Avadhāraṇa-nipāta (even/though)

• kīrtitāḥ: have been mentioned
• kīrtitāḥ: Kriyā (Predicate participle)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kīrt (कीर्त्-धातु)
• Form: Kta-pratyaya (past passive participle), Pumliṅga, Prathamā (1st), Bahuvacana; karmaṇi-bhāva (described/mentioned)

• pretānām: of the departed spirits
• pretānām: Sambandha (Genitive/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: preta (प्रेत-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Pumliṅga, Ṣaṣṭhī (6th), Bahuvacana

• yān: which (ones)
• yān: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: yad (यद्-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Pumliṅga, Dvitīyā (2nd), Bahuvacana; relative pronoun

• samāśritya: having resorted to
• samāśritya: Kriyā (Gerundial)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sam-ā-śri (सम्+आ+श्रि-धातु)
• Form: Ktvā-pratyaya (absolutive/gerund), avyaya; pūrvakāla-kriyā (prior action)

• kācit: any (some)
• kācit: Viśeṣaṇa (Determiner)
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: kācit (काचित्-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Strīliṅga, Prathamā (1st), Ekavacana; aniyata (indefinite)

• siddhiḥ: success/accomplishment
• siddhiḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: siddhi (सिद्धि-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Strīliṅga, Prathamā (1st), Ekavacana

• na: not
• na: Sambandha (Negation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (न-अव्यय)
• Form: Niṣedha-nipāta (negation)

• jāyate: arises/occurs
• jāyate: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: jan (जन्-धातु)
• Form: Laṭ-lakāra (Present), Prathama-puruṣa (3rd), Ekavacana, Ātmanepada

Speaker

Preta(s) (departed spirits) addressing the king

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: rājan / king

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The speaker addresses the king: despite being described as possessing certain ‘qualities’, pretas relying on them gain no true accomplishment due to their inherent defect/condition.

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Even seemingly advantageous conditions become fruitless when rooted in a defective state; dharma-based purification is required for true progress.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Not directly named in this verse; it supports the larger tīrtha-māhātmya rationale for remedial sacred actions.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly; it reinforces the need for corrective rites for pretas rather than reliance on incidental ‘powers’.