Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 53

Devanagari script

कुलीनानां च शुद्धानां स्वजात्यानां विशेषतः । त्वं कुरुष्व पराणां च यदि कामवशं गतः

Transliteration

kulīnānāṃ ca śuddhānāṃ svajātyānāṃ viśeṣataḥ | tvaṃ kuruṣva parāṇāṃ ca yadi kāmavaśaṃ gataḥ

Translation

कुलीनानां च शुद्धानां स्वजात्यानां विशेषतः; परेषां च तथा मा कार्षीः, यदि कामवशं गतः।

Word by Word

• kulīnānām: of noble-born (people)
• kulīnānām: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kulīna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (m), षष्ठी (Gen. 6), बहुवचन (pl); विशेषण

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयबोधक (conjunction)

• śuddhānām: of pure (people)
• śuddhānām: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śuddha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (m), षष्ठी (Gen. 6), बहुवचन (pl); विशेषण

• svajātyānām: of one’s own caste/kin-group
• svajātyānām: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sva (प्रातिपदिक) + jāti (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (षष्ठी: स्वस्य जातिः); स्त्रीलिङ्ग (f), षष्ठी (Gen. 6), बहुवचन (pl)

• viśeṣataḥ: especially
• viśeṣataḥ: Kriya-viśeṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: viśeṣatas (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रियाविशेषण (adverb) ‘विशेषतः’

• tvam: you
• tvam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yusmad (युष्मद् सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम; पुंलिङ्ग (m), प्रथमा (Nom. 1), एकवचन (sg)

• kuruṣva: do; act
• kuruṣva: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kṛ (कृ धातु)
• Form: लोट् (Imperative), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd), एकवचन (sg); आत्मनेपद

• parāṇām: of others
• parāṇām: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: para (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (m), षष्ठी (Gen. 6), बहुवचन (pl)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयबोधक (conjunction)

• yadi: if
• yadi: Sambandha (Condition/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yadi (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; शर्तबोधक (conditional particle)

• kāma-vaśam: under the control of desire
• kāma-vaśam: Gati/Karma (Goal as object/गति-विशेष, कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kāma (प्रातिपदिक) + vaśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (षष्ठी: कामस्य वशः); पुंलिङ्ग (m), द्वितीया (Acc. 2), एकवचन (sg)

• gataḥ: having gone; having fallen into
• gataḥ: Kartṛ-samānādhikaraṇa (Subject complement/कर्तृसमाना)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: gam (गम् धातु)
• Form: क्त (past active participle in sense of ‘gone’); पुंलिङ्ग (m), प्रथमा (Nom. 1), एकवचन (sg)

Speaker

Unspecified (contextual speaker within Nāgara-khaṇḍa Tīrtha-māhātmya dialogue; admonishing tone)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A counselor-like figure admonishes a desire-struck man: one hand points to a group of dignified women under protection (symbol of ‘kulīna-śuddha’), the other hand gestures ‘stop’; behind, a faint image of Kāma with bow suggests temptation subdued by dharma.

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Desire must be governed by dharma; harming households and violating social trust destroys merit and spiritual standing.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific tīrtha is mentioned in this verse; it is moral instruction within a tīrtha-māhātmya chapter.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it is an admonition about conduct.