Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 10

Devanagari script

अचौराः प्रगृहीताश्च चौराः संरक्षिताः सदा । साधवः क्लेशिता नित्यं तेषां संहरता धनम्

Transliteration

acaurāḥ pragṛhītāśca caurāḥ saṃrakṣitāḥ sadā | sādhavaḥ kleśitā nityaṃ teṣāṃ saṃharatā dhanam

Translation

Os inocentes eram presos, enquanto os ladrões eram sempre protegidos; os justos eram continuamente afligidos enquanto suas riquezas eram confiscadas.

Word by Word

• अचौराः: non-thieves/innocent people
• अचौराः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अ-चौर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), बहुवचन (Plural); नञ्-प्रत्यय (negation)

• प्रगृहीताः: seized/arrested
• प्रगृहीताः: Kriya (Predicate/क्रियाविशेषण-भाव)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्र+गृहीत (कृदन्त; प्र+√ग्रह् (धातु))
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (past participle), पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), बहुवचन (Plural)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, समुच्चयार्थक-निपात (conjunction)

• चौराः: thieves
• चौराः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चौर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), बहुवचन (Plural)

• संरक्षिताः: protected
• संरक्षिताः: Kriya (Predicate/क्रियाविशेषण-भाव)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सम्+रक्षित (कृदन्त; सम्+√रक्ष् (धातु))
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (past participle), पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), बहुवचन (Plural)

• सदा: always
• सदा: Kala-adhikarana (Time/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सदा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, कालवाचक-अव्यय (adverb of time)

• साधवः: good people/saints
• साधवः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: साधु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), बहुवचन (Plural)

• क्लेशिताः: afflicted/tormented
• क्लेशिताः: Kriya (Predicate/क्रियाविशेषण-भाव)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: क्लेशित (कृदन्त; √क्लिश् (धातु))
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (past participle/causative sense in usage), पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), बहुवचन (Plural)

• नित्यम्: constantly
• नित्यम्: Kala-adhikarana (Time/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नित्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभाववत् क्रियाविशेषणरूपेण (adverbial accusative), नपुंसक-द्वितीया एकवचन-रूप (used adverbially)

• तेषाम्: of them
• तेषाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम (pronoun), पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine) (समूहार्थे), षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/6th), बहुवचन (Plural)

• संहरता: by (one) who was taking away
• संहरता: Karana (Agent-instrumental/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सम्+हरत् (कृदन्त; सम्+√हृ (धातु))
• Form: वर्तमानकृदन्त (present active participle/शतृ), पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), एकवचन (Singular)

• धनम्: wealth
• धनम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular)

Speaker

Narrator (deduced: a Purāṇic narrator within Nāgarakhaṇḍa Tīrthamāhātmya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A tableau of corruption: bound innocent villagers led away, thieves receiving protection or gifts, sādhus harassed, officials seizing grain and coins—dharma personified as a dimmed figure in the background.

Characters & Entities

• thieves (caura)
• righteous people (sādhavaḥ)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

When rulers invert justice—shielding criminals and harming the virtuous—society loses dharma, and the ruler accrues grave sin.

Which specific holy site (Tīrtha) is glorified here?

No specific tīrtha is named in this line; it forms part of the cautionary narrative within the Tīrthamāhātmya.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; the verse addresses governance and justice rather than ritual.