Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 80

Devanagari script

आविकानां तथोष्ट्रीणां यत्र क्षीरप्रशंसकाः । लोका भवंति निःश्रीकास्तथा ये च मलिम्लुचाः

Transliteration

āvikānāṃ tathoṣṭrīṇāṃ yatra kṣīrapraśaṃsakāḥ | lokā bhavaṃti niḥśrīkāstathā ye ca malimlucāḥ

Translation

ఎక్కడ గొర్రెలు, ఒంటె ఆడదాని పాలను పొగడ్తలతో చెప్పుతారో అక్కడ ప్రజలు శ్రీహీనులవుతారు; అక్కడ మలిమ్లుచులు—అపవిత్ర దోపిడీ స్వభావులూ ఉంటారు।

Word by Word

• āvikānām: of sheep/pertaining to sheep
• āvikānām: Sambandha (Genitive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: āvika (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गः, षष्ठी-विभक्तिः (Genitive), बहुवचनम् (Plural)

• tathā: also
• tathā: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tathā (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-अव्ययम् (also)

• uṣṭrīṇām: of she-camels
• uṣṭrīṇām: Sambandha (Genitive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: uṣṭrī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गः, षष्ठी-विभक्तिः (Genitive), बहुवचनम् (Plural)

• yatra: where
• yatra: Adhikarana (Location)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yatra (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्ययम् (where)

• kṣīra-praśaṃsakāḥ: praisers of milk
• kṣīra-praśaṃsakāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kṣīra (प्रातिपदिक) + praśaṃsaka (√śaṃs धातु; ण्वुल्-प्रत्ययान्त कर्तृनाम)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः (Nominative), बहुवचनम् (Plural)

• lokāḥ: people
• lokāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: loka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः (Nominative), बहुवचनम् (Plural)

• bhavanti: become/are
• bhavanti: Kriya (Verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √bhū (भू धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकारः (Present), परस्मैपदम्, प्रथम-पुरुषः (3rd person), बहुवचनम् (Plural)

• niḥ-śrīkāḥ: devoid of prosperity/splendor
• niḥ-śrīkāḥ: Visheshana (Adjective)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: niḥ (निः उपसर्ग) + śrīka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः (Nominative), बहुवचनम् (Plural); विशेषणम् (of lokāḥ)

• tathā: likewise
• tathā: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tathā (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-अव्ययम् (likewise)

• ye: who
• ye: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (यद् सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः (Nominative), बहुवचनम् (Plural); सम्बन्धक-सर्वनाम (who)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-बोधक-अव्ययम् (and)

• malimlucāḥ: thieves/robbers (malimluca)
• malimlucāḥ: Karta (Apposition/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: malimluca (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः (Nominative), बहुवचनम् (Plural)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced; exact speaker not explicit in snippet)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A marketplace where people extol sheep and camel milk; prosperity symbols (Lakṣmī’s lotus, overflowing granary) appear faded or departing; shadowy malimluca figures lurk at edges; a pilgrim points toward a tīrtha/temple as the path back to śrī.

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

A fallen culture shows distorted values and impure livelihoods, leading to the departure of śrī—fortune, harmony, and dignity.

Which specific holy site (Tīrtha) is glorified here?

No specific tīrtha is named in this verse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None.