Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 34

Devanagari script

ततः कामवशान्मोहं सर्वे गच्छंति मानवाः । मोहाद्द्रोहं ततो गत्वा पापं कुर्वंत्यनुक्रमात्

Transliteration

tataḥ kāmavaśānmohaṃ sarve gacchaṃti mānavāḥ | mohāddrohaṃ tato gatvā pāpaṃ kurvaṃtyanukramāt

Translation

பின்னர் காமவசத்தால் எல்லா மனிதரும் மோகத்தில் வீழ்கின்றனர்; மோகத்திலிருந்து துரோகம் நோக்கிச் சென்று, அதன் பின் படிப்படியாகப் பாவம் செய்கின்றனர்.

Word by Word

• ततः: then
• ततः: Sambandha (connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb): ततः (then/thereafter)

• कामवशात्: due to the sway of desire
• कामवशात्: Hetu (cause)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काम + वश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/ablative), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समासः (कामस्य वशः; तस्मात्)

• मोहम्: delusion
• मोहम्: Karma (object/state entered)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मोह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• सर्वे: all
• सर्वे: Visheshana (qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; विशेषणम् (मानवाः)

• गच्छन्ति: go/enter
• गच्छन्ति: Kriya (predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (present), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• मानवाः: humans
• मानवाः: Karta (subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मानव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन

• मोहात्: from delusion
• मोहात्: Hetu (cause)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मोह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/ablative), एकवचन

• द्रोहम्: malice/treachery
• द्रोहम्: Karma (object/state entered)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्रोह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• ततः: then
• ततः: Sambandha (connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb): ततः (then/thereupon)

• गत्वा: having gone (to)
• गत्वा: Purvakala-kriya (prior action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund): गत्वा (having gone)

• पापम्: sin
• पापम्: Karma (object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• कुर्वन्ति: do/commit
• कुर्वन्ति: Kriya (predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (present), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• अनुक्रमात्: successively/in sequence
• अनुक्रमात्: Kriya-visheshana (manner)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अनुक्रम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/ablative), एकवचन; अव्ययीभावार्थे (in due order/successively)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced; exact speaker not stated in the snippet)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A sequential tableau: a person grasping desired objects (kāma), then eyes clouded (moha), then striking another (droha), then weighed down by dark stains (pāpa); in the corner, a tīrtha-ghāṭ and temple offer a path of return.

Characters & Entities

• Kāma
• Moha
• Droha
• Pāpa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Unchecked desire breeds delusion, delusion breeds hostility, and hostility culminates in sin—so self-restraint is essential for dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No particular site is named; the verse provides ethical diagnosis within a pilgrimage-oriented discourse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit ritual; the implied prescription is mastery over kāma through dharmic discipline (niyama, vrata, and right conduct).