Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 6

Devanagari script

लोप्त्रं मुक्त्वा तदग्रेऽथ प्रविवेश गुहांतरे । एतस्मिन्नंतरे प्राप्तास्ते जना लोप्त्रहेतवे

Transliteration

loptraṃ muktvā tadagre'tha praviveśa guhāṃtare | etasminnaṃtare prāptāste janā loptrahetave

Translation

โจรวางหม้อน้ำไว้เบื้องหน้า แล้วจึงเข้าไปในถ้ำลึก ภายในกาลนั้นเอง ผู้คนเหล่านั้นก็มาถึงที่นั่นเพื่อทวงคืนหม้อน้ำนั้น

Word by Word

• लोप्त्रम्: the loptra (a vessel/utensil; here the object)
• लोप्त्रम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लोप्त्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (कर्म), एकवचन

• मुक्त्वा: having left/released
• मुक्त्वा: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial to main verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: मुच् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्ययकृदन्त (absolutive/gerund), ‘having released/left’

• तत्: that
• तत्: Sambandha (Genitival relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी/सप्तमी-समर्थ (in compound), एकवचन; ‘that’ (deictic)

• अग्रे: in front
• अग्रे: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अग्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (अधिकरण), एकवचन

• अथ: then
• अथ: Sambandha (Discourse connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अथ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अनुक्रम/अनन्तरार्थक (then/thereupon)

• प्रविवेश: entered
• प्रविवेश: Kriyā (Main action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र + विश् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (परोक्षभूत/Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• गुहा-अन्तरे: inside the cave
• गुहा-अन्तरे: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गुहा (प्रातिपदिक) + अन्तर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (षष्ठी: ‘गुहायाः अन्तरम्’); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (अधिकरण), एकवचन

• एतस्मिन्: in this
• एतस्मिन्: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (अधिकरण), एकवचन

• अन्तरे: in the meantime
• अन्तरे: Adhikaraṇa (Time/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अन्तर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (अधिकरण), एकवचन; ‘interval/meanwhile’

• प्राप्ताः: arrived
• प्राप्ताः: Kriyā (Predicative action/state)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र + आप् (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (past passive participle used predicatively); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• ते: those
• ते: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• जनाः: people
• जनाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• लोप्त्र-हेतवे: for the sake of the loptra
• लोप्त्र-हेतवे: Sampradāna/Prayojana (Purpose/प्रयोजन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लोप्त्र (प्रातिपदिक) + हेतु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (षष्ठी: ‘लोप्त्रस्य हेतु’); पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी-विभक्ति (सम्प्रदान/प्रयोजन), एकवचन

Speaker

Sūta (contextual)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: cave

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A thief sets down a water-pot before a silent ascetic at a cave-mouth and slips into the dark interior; dust of approaching pursuers rises in the background.

Characters & Entities

• Māṇḍavya
• Thief (caura)
• Cave (guhā)
• Pursuers (jana)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Misplaced evidence can lead to wrongful suspicion—highlighting the need for dharmic discernment (viveka).

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The scene continues at Viśvāmitrī Tīrtha in Nāgara Khaṇḍa’s tīrtha-māhātmya.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No new rite is prescribed here; the verse advances the narrative leading to a dharmic dilemma.