Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 5

Devanagari script

कर्माणि नित्यजातानि नित्यनैमित्तिकानि च । इच्छया नैव सेव्यानि दुःखतापविवृद्धये

Transliteration

karmāṇi nityajātāni nityanaimittikāni ca | icchayā naiva sevyāni duḥkhatāpavivṛddhaye

Translation

நித்தியக் கடமைகளும் நித்திய-நைமித்திக விதிகளும் தன்விருப்பத்தால் மட்டும் செய்யப்படக் கூடாது; அதனால் துக்கமும் உள்ளத்தாபமும் மேலும் பெருகும்.

Word by Word

• कर्माणि: actions
• कर्माणि: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कर्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन (Nominative plural)

• नित्यजातानि: ever-arising, constantly produced
• नित्यजातानि: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: नित्य + जात (कृदन्त/प्रातिपदिक; √जन् धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle) ‘जात’; नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; कर्माणि-विशेषणम्

• नित्यनैमित्तिकानि: regular and occasional (ritual) duties
• नित्यनैमित्तिकानि: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: नित्य + नैमित्तिक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; कर्माणि-विशेषणम्

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• इच्छया: by desire, out of wish
• इच्छया: Karana (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इच्छा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन (Instrumental singular)

• न: not
• न: Pratishedha (प्रतिषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-निपात (negation particle)

• एव: indeed, at all
• एव: Sambandha/Emphasis (सम्बन्ध/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (emphatic particle)

• सेव्यानि: to be pursued/served (should be done)
• सेव्यानि: Vidhi/Nishedha (विधि/निषेध)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सेव् (धातु)
• Form: तव्यत्/अनीयर्-अर्थे यत्-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (gerundive: to be served/done), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; कर्माणि-समनाधिकरणम्

• दुःखतापविवृद्धये: for the increase of suffering and torment
• दुःखतापविवृद्धये: Sampradana (सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दुःख + ताप + विवृद्धि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी, एकवचन (Dative singular); प्रयोजनार्थे (for the purpose/result)

Speaker

Īśvara (carried over from context)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim at a tīrtha pauses before ritual implements, turning away from desire-driven offerings; a calm teacher-figure instructs that craving increases inner heat (tāpa).

Characters & Entities

• nitya karma
• naimittika karma
• icchā
• duḥkha-tāpa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Ritual and duty should be rooted in dharma, not desire; desire-driven action multiplies suffering.

Which specific holy site (Tīrtha) is glorified here?

The instruction belongs to the Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra-māhātmya setting within the Nāgara-khaṇḍa’s tīrtha section.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

It references nitya and naimittika duties, cautioning against performing them from mere personal desire.