Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 47

Devanagari script

कस्मात्तस्यास्तिरस्कारं मम यच्छसि निष्ठुरम् । अज्ञातां मूढबुद्धिः सन्विशेषान्मानुषोद्भवाम्

Transliteration

kasmāttasyāstiraskāraṃ mama yacchasi niṣṭhuram | ajñātāṃ mūḍhabuddhiḥ sanviśeṣānmānuṣodbhavām

Translation

เหตุไฉนท่านจึงเหยียดหยามข้าด้วยความโหดร้าย? ข้ายังเป็นผู้ที่ท่านมิได้รู้จัก และท่านผู้มีปัญญาหลงมัว ย่อมไม่รู้ความแตกต่างอันควรตามธรรมแห่งความประพฤติของมนุษย์

Word by Word

• kasmāt: from what cause? why?
• kasmāt: Hetu/Apādāna (Cause/Source)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kim (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (5th/अपादान), एकवचन; प्रश्नार्थक सर्वनाम

• tasyāḥ: of her
• tasyāḥ: Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (6th/सम्बन्ध), एकवचन

• tiraskāram: disrespect, contempt
• tiraskāram: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tiraskāra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन

• mama: to me / of me
• mama: Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-विभक्ति (6th/सम्बन्ध), एकवचन; उत्तमपुरुष-प्रयोग

• yacchasi: you give / you bestow
• yacchasi: Kriyā (Action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: yam (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• niṣṭhuram: harsh, cruel
• niṣṭhuram: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: niṣṭhura (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (tiraskāram इति)

• ajñātām: unknown, unrecognized
• ajñātām: Karma/Viśeṣaṇa (Object-qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ajñāta (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; √jñā + नक्त/क्त)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (स्त्री-प्रति)

• mūḍha-buddhiḥ: one of deluded intellect
• mūḍha-buddhiḥ: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mūḍha (कृदन्त; √muh + क्त) + buddhi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/कर्ता), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (मूढा बुद्धिः यस्य)

• san: being
• san: Karta (Subject—participial)
• Type: Verb
• Root: as (धातु)
• Form: शतृ-प्रत्ययान्त वर्तमान कृदन्त (present participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘being’

• viśeṣāt: because of (some) distinction
• viśeṣāt: Hetu/Apādāna (Cause/Source)
• Type: Noun
• Root: viśeṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; हेत्वर्थे (because of)

• mānuṣa-udbhavām: born of a human (origin)
• mānuṣa-udbhavām: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mānuṣa (प्रातिपदिक) + udbhava (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (मानुषात् उद्भवा)

Speaker

Dīrghikā

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Ṛṣis/śaunaka-group (typical frame; not stated in verse)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A tense confrontation: a wronged ascetic or brāhmaṇa figure rebukes a woman for contempt; gestures of accusation and moral admonition dominate the scene.

Characters & Entities

• Dīrghikā
• Māṇḍavya

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharma includes restraint in speech—contempt without understanding is portrayed as a moral failure.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The moral teaching is delivered within the Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra narrative context of the Tīrthamāhātmya.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; the verse focuses on ethical conduct (ācāra) and the impropriety of harsh judgment.