Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 11

Devanagari script

राजोवाच उपकारं समासाद्य यः करोति न पापकृत् । उपकारं पुनस्तस्य स कृतघ्न उदाहृतः

Transliteration

rājovāca upakāraṃ samāsādya yaḥ karoti na pāpakṛt | upakāraṃ punastasya sa kṛtaghna udāhṛtaḥ

Translation

พระราชาตรัสว่า: “ผู้ใดได้รับความกรุณาแล้วไม่กระทำบาป (คือไม่ตอบแทนด้วยความร้าย) ผู้นั้นไม่ชื่อว่าเป็นผู้ทำผิด แต่ผู้ใดไม่ตอบความกรุณานั้นด้วยความกรุณาคืน ผู้นั้นเรียกว่า ‘กฤตฆนะ’ คือผู้เนรคุณ”

Word by Word

• राजा: the king
• राजा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: राजन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन

• उपकारम्: a favor/help
• उपकारम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: उपकार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन

• समासाद्य: having obtained/received
• समासाद्य: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम्-आ-√सद् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय (Gerund/Absolutive); पूर्वक्रिया (having obtained/approached)

• यः: who
• यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सम्बन्धक (relative pronoun)

• करोति: does
• करोति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन

• न: not
• न: Nishedha (Negation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-अव्यय (negation particle)

• पापकृत्: a sinner/evil-doer
• पापकृत्: Pratishedha-predicate (Predicate complement)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाप-कृत् (प्रातिपदिक; पाप + कृत्)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेष्य-रूपेण (predicate noun)

• उपकारम्: a favor (in return)
• उपकारम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: उपकार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• पुनः: again/in return
• पुनः: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुनः (अव्यय)
• Form: क्रियाविशेषण-अव्यय (adverb)

• तस्य: of him
• तस्य: Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/6th), एकवचन

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• कृतघ्नः: ungrateful person
• कृतघ्नः: Predicate complement (समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कृत-घ्न (प्रातिपदिक; कृत + घ्न)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेष्य (predicate noun)

• उदाहृतः: is declared/called
• उदाहृतः: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: उद्-आ-√हृ (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (Past Passive Participle); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

Speaker

Rājā (the King)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Ṛṣis (frame; not explicit here)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A king, hands in a teaching gesture, explains the ethics of repaying kindness to ascetic brāhmaṇas; the courtly aura is restrained, emphasizing moral instruction over power.

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Gratitude is dharma: receiving help should lead to benevolent reciprocity; failing to repay kindness is a serious ethical fault.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

This verse primarily teaches dharma (gratitude) within the Tīrthamāhātmya context; the specific tīrtha is not named in this shloka.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit ritual (snāna, japa, dāna) is prescribed here; it is an ethical definition concerning kṛtaghnatā (ingratitude).