Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 16

Devanagari script

किमिदं युज्यते कर्तुं त्वया रात्रिपतेऽधम । कर्म मूढ सतां बाह्य धर्मशास्त्रविगर्हितम्

Transliteration

kimidaṃ yujyate kartuṃ tvayā rātripate'dhama | karma mūḍha satāṃ bāhya dharmaśāstravigarhitam

Translation

హే రాత్రిపతీ, అధముడా! నీవు ఇలా చేయడం ఎలా యుక్తం? హే మూఢుడా, ఈ కర్మ సజ్జనుల ఆచారానికి వెలుపలది; ధర్మశాస్త్రాలు దీనిని నిందిస్తాయి।

Word by Word

• kim: what?
• kim: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kim (प्रातिपदिक/सर्वनाम)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; interrogative pronoun (किम्)

• idam: this
• idam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: idam (प्रातिपदिक/सर्वनाम)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; demonstrative pronoun (इदम्)

• yujyate: is proper / is fitting
• yujyate: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: yuj (धातु)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद; कर्मणि प्रयोग (passive): ‘is proper/fit’

• kartum: to do
• kartum: Prayojana (Purpose/प्रयोजन)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kṛ (धातु)
• Form: तुमुन्-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय (infinitive): कर्तुम् ‘to do’

• tvayā: by you
• tvayā: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yusmad (प्रातिपदिक/सर्वनाम)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/सर्वलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3), एकवचन; 2nd person pronoun instrumental

• rātripate: O lord of the night
• rātripate: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rātri-pati (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, संबोधन (8), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: रात्रेः पतिः

• adhama: O vile one / lowest
• adhama: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: adhama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, संबोधन (8), एकवचन; विशेषण (vocative adjective)

• karma: act, deed
• karma: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: karman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन

• mūḍha: O fool / deluded one
• mūḍha: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mūḍha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, संबोधन (8), एकवचन; विशेषण

• satām: of the good people
• satām: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sat (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6), बहुवचन; ‘of the good/virtuous’

• bāhya: external; outside (the pale)
• bāhya: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: bāhya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; विशेषण कर्मणः

• dharmaśāstra-vigarhitam: condemned by the dharma-śāstras
• dharmaśāstra-vigarhitam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dharma-śāstra-vigarhita (प्रातिपदिक: धर्म + शास्त्र + विगर्हित)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: धर्मशास्त्रेण/धर्मशास्त्रेषु विगर्हितम् ‘condemned by dharmaśāstra’

Speaker

Dakṣa (addressing Chandra/Soma)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Dakṣa rebukes the Moon (‘Lord of Night’) with stern, didactic authority; the Moon stands confronted, luminous yet chastened, in a court-like setting.

Characters & Entities

• Dakṣa
• Rātripati/Niśānātha (Chandra/Soma)
• Dharmaśāstra (as authority)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purāṇic dharma is measured against śāstric standards; actions that harm others and violate prescribed duty are to be rejected.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No site is named in this verse; it is a moral admonition within the broader tīrtha-māhātmya context.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No ritual is prescribed; it appeals to Dharmaśāstra as normative guidance.