Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 35

Devanagari script

यस्मात्पाप त्वया पत्नी ममैवं शरपीडिता । अनभिज्ञा तथा साध्वी पतिधर्मपरायणा । कुष्ठव्याधिसमायुक्तस्तस्माद्विप्रियदर्शनः

Transliteration

yasmātpāpa tvayā patnī mamaivaṃ śarapīḍitā | anabhijñā tathā sādhvī patidharmaparāyaṇā | kuṣṭhavyādhisamāyuktastasmādvipriyadarśanaḥ

Translation

เขากล่าวว่า “โอ้คนบาป! เพราะเจ้า ภรรยาของเราจึงถูกศรของเจ้าทรมานเช่นนี้ ทั้งที่นางไร้ความผิด เป็นสตรีผู้บริสุทธิ์ และมั่นคงในธรรมแห่งความภักดีต่อสามี; เพราะเหตุนั้น เจ้าจักต้องเป็นโรคเรื้อน และจักเป็นที่ไม่น่าดูยิ่ง”

Word by Word

• यस्मात्: since, because
• यस्मात्: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, पञ्चमी, एकवचन; हेतु-अर्थे — ‘because/since’

• पाप: O sinner
• पाप: Sambodhana (Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th), एकवचन

• त्वया: by you
• त्वया: Karana (Agent-instrument in passive sense)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन; सर्वनाम — ‘by you’

• पत्नी: wife
• पत्नी: Karma (Patient/कर्म in passive construction)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पत्नी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• मम: my
• मम: Sambandha (Genitive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी, एकवचन; सर्वनाम — ‘my/of me’

• एवम्: thus
• एवम्: Sambandha (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एवम् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (प्रकारवाचक) — ‘thus/in this way’

• शर-पीडिता: tormented by arrows
• शर-पीडिता: Karta (Predicate adjective of पत्नी)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शर (प्रातिपदिक) + पीडित (√पीड् धातु, क्त) + आ (स्त्री)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘शरैः पीडिता’ (तृतीया-तत्पुरुष) — afflicted by arrows

• अनभिज्ञा: unaware, innocent
• अनभिज्ञा: Visheshana (Qualifier of पत्नी)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अन- + अभिज्ञ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; नञ्-समास/उपसर्गयुक्त विशेषण — ‘unaware/innocent’

• तथा: also, likewise
• तथा: Sambandha (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (समुच्चय/प्रकार) — ‘also/likewise’

• साध्वी: virtuous woman
• साध्वी: Visheshana (Qualifier of पत्नी)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: साध्वी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषण — ‘virtuous/chaste’

• पति-धर्म-परायणा: devoted to her husband’s duty
• पति-धर्म-परायणा: Visheshana (Qualifier of पत्नी)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पति (प्रातिपदिक) + धर्म (प्रातिपदिक) + परायण (प्रातिपदिक) + आ (स्त्री)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः — ‘पतिधर्मे परायणा’ (devoted to husband’s duty)

• कुष्ठ-व्याधि-समायुक्तः: afflicted with leprosy
• कुष्ठ-व्याधि-समायुक्तः: Karta (Predicate of implied ‘त्वम्’)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कुष्ठ (प्रातिपदिक) + व्याधि (प्रातिपदिक) + सम्-युक्त (√युज् धातु, क्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘कुष्ठव्याधिना समायुक्तः’ (तृतीया-तत्पुरुष) — afflicted with leprosy-disease

• तस्मात्: therefore
• तस्मात्: Hetu (Cause/Result marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पञ्चमी, एकवचन; हेतु/फल-निर्देशे — ‘therefore/from that’

• विप्रिय-दर्शनः: ugly to look at, unpleasant-looking
• विप्रिय-दर्शनः: Karta (Predicate of implied ‘त्वम्’)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: विप्रिय (प्रातिपदिक) + दर्शन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्मधारय — ‘विप्रियं दर्शनं यस्य’ (unpleasant to behold)

Speaker

Hārīta (deduced from prior narrative: he speaks in anger)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The enraged husband/guardian confronts Kāma, declaring him a sinner and pronouncing leprosy and ugliness as punishment for afflicting an innocent, virtuous wife devoted to husband-dharma.

Characters & Entities

• Kāma
• Hārīta
• Hārīta's wife (unnamed)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Violating the dignity of the innocent invites karmic retribution; dharma protects the virtuous, especially those steadfast in marital duty.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The surrounding chapter glorifies the Candrakūpikā tīrtha and Kāmeśvara, while the story demonstrates dharma’s protective power in that sacred landscape.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it is a narrative curse establishing ethical causality.